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Starfield contraband: where to sell contraband in space

Do crimes and get rich with our contraband guide for Starfield

Kirk McKeand

Starfield contraband: where to sell contraband in space
Starfield contraband: where to sell contraband in space /

Contents

  1. What to do with contraband in Starfield
  2. How to sell contraband in Starfield

If you want to run contraband and stolen goods as a smuggler or pirate in Starfield, there are a couple of things you need to know before you try. If you attempt to land on a planet with contraband, you’ll be scanned and slapped with a hefty fine, with your merchandise confiscated by the planet’s security forces.

Here’s how to do crimes and get away with them.

What to do with contraband in Starfield

Starfield Altair II
Bethesda

Sell it! Though you won't be able to enter most cities with it just lying around in your ship's hold. You'll need to hide and secure it first, and we have all the details for that below.

How to sell contraband in Starfield

Starfield screnshot
Bethesda

If you’re looking to offload contraband (marked yellow in your inventory), you’ll need to invest in some shielded cargo. You can buy and install these at illicit shipwrights, such as the one in Red Mile or the one aboard pirate hideout The Key.

Once you’ve got shielded cargo, put the contraband in your ship’s inventory and it’ll automatically be stored in shielded cargo. Once it’s in there, you’ll get a percentage chance to evade any scans on your ship. The odds will be worse if your ship is overloaded, and you can also improve the odds by investing in certain skills in the skill tree.

However you do it, make sure you save before attempting to land and you can always revert the save if the RNG isn’t in your favor.

Once you’re set down on a planet, you need to fence the goods. That’s where the Trade Authority comes in. These shady dealers exist on most civilized planets in Starfield and they will buy almost anything, including contraband goods (marked yellow) and stolen goods (marked in red). Happy hunting!

Check out our Starfield review for more. 

Published
Kirk McKeand
KIRK MCKEAND

Kirk McKeand is the Content Director for GLHF.  A games media writer and editor from Lincoln, UK, he won a Games Media Award in 2014 in the Rising Star category. He has also been nominated for two Features Writer awards. He was also recognized in MCV's 30 Under 30 list in 2014. His favorite games are The Witcher 3, The Last of Us Part 2, Dishonored 2, Deus Ex, Bloodborne, Suikoden 2, and Final Fantasy 7.  You can buy Kirk McKeand's book, The History of the Stealth Game, in most bookstores in the US and UK.  With a foreword written by Arkane's Harvey Smith, The History of the Stealth Game dives deep into the shadows of game development, uncovering the surprising stories behind some of the industry's most formative video games.  He has written for IGN, Playboy, Vice, Eurogamer, Edge, Official PlayStation Magazine, Games Master, Official Xbox Magazine, USA Today's ForTheWin, Digital Spy, The Telegraph, International Business Times, and more.  Kirk was previously the Editor-in-Chief at TheGamer and Deputy Editor at VG247. These days he works as the Content Director for GLHF, a content agency specializing in video games coverage, serving media partners across the globe.  You can check out Kirk McKeand's MuckRack profile for more.  Email: kirk.mckeand@glhf.gg

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