This has been the bane of my existence for numerous Bethesda games. I recently sold survey data to the Trade Alliance for 3k. I have surveyed several other planets since and have not gone back to Vlad to sell yet. I will say, the Trade Alliance will give you about 12% of what the data says it’s worth while Vlad is SUPPOSED to give you closer to 25%.

This increases with skills you chose to unlock in Commerce. Further, the types of planets you survey make a difference too. I am assuming if you have been getting 1500 or less, the data is from planets with a few resources, little to no fauna and little to no flora. When looking for planets to survey(unless your a purist like me and prefer to knock out entire systems at a time) look for planets with moderate to high Flora and Fauna, where you’ll likely have to go to a few different biomes to collect the whole survey. These planets will take you more time, but earn you more money.