There are so many ways to make money that it's not worth the trade.
I'd also urge you to avoid selling your lockpicks. These give you permanent buffs that are far more valuable than some Lei. Rather than rushing off to the shop to sell your meat, I advise that you hold onto it and save it for recipes. You still need herbs to craft First Aid Meds for healing, but you can hunt for animals in Resident Evil Village. Finding Resident Evil Village treasures is essentially like finding free cash as they're in the game solely for you to sell to the Duke. Similar to enemies, you'll usually pick up items like lockpicks, ammo, and treasures, but occasionally you'll find a small bag of Lei.
If you're a seasoned Resident Evil player, you'll be used to breaking wooden crates by now, but you'll also want to break ornate pots and slash away at glass cabinet doors, particularly in Castle Dimitrescu. The amount of Lei you'll receive will vary per enemy, but every little helps. However, you can make a fair amount of cash by popping Lycan skulls in the village, and shooting winged enemies clean out of the air on the roof of the castle. Some enemies may drop ammo, gunpowder, and other useful resources. This is one of the earliest and easiest ways to make money.
