Bugged and currently broken, Courting gifts may be worth saving some for when they get fixed, though they haven't been fixed in years.
477 Rank 5 purple gifts will get you from 1-50 if you have all the influence perks unlocked.
This is a tiny fraction of the usual price! A high influence companion makes a huge difference duing solo play. Lana and Senya are valuable to level up because they are used so much during the storyline. Leveling Hexid is useful for bolstering new characters who haven't teamed up with their first companion. You should eventually have 8 companions at influence rank 20 or higher for crafting.
Kiralynn of Rohan
Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:19 am Post subject: Imperial Fleet Sale On Companion Gifts
The vendor Tahoota on the Imperial Fleet is selling various companion gifts that do not list a purchase price (but they do have one). When purchased, they can be bought for cheaper than is intended. It's a known bug that will be fixed soon. In the meantime, it is not considered an exploit to buy and use the discounted gifts. However, it is an exploit to buy stacks of gifts and sell them back for profit. They must be used. You can send these gifts to your Republic toons to improve their companions, too. Enjoy!