Starfield contraband: Complete guide to selling stolen items

One of the best ways to earn Credits fast in Starfield is via selling Contraband. Players can loot, steal, and pickpocket other NPCs, which will net you a lot of stolen items and Contraband, which is illegal in Settled Systems. As you land on these systems, your ship will be scanned, and if Contraband is found, you will have a bounty on your head.

In Starfield, Contraband and stolen items fetch a lot of cash if you can sell them. However, there has been a fair bit of confusion amongst players as to how they can sell these items in the game.

Hence, today’s Starfield guide will go over everything that you will need to know about selling stolen goods and Contraband in Bethesda’s latest RPG.

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What are stolen items in Starfield?

As the name itself would suggest, stolen items are just goods that you straight-up steal from others in the game. There are many NPCs and restricted areas in the inhabited planets, and you can steal items by breaking into lockers, homes, safes, as well as chests and drawers.

These items will usually be highlighted in red, and if the NPC catches you stealing them, authorities will interact with you and take the items from you while putting a small bounty on your head that you must pay.

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What is Contraband in Starfield?

Contrabands will give you an even bigger bounty than what stolen goods would. These items are marked in orange, and you will specifically find them during your space adventures and when hijacking enemy ships. Va'runn cultists as well as enemy pirate vessels often are a good source of Contraband.

Contraband detection happens when you are trying to land on a planet controlled by allied forces. Your ship will be scanned, so if you are carrying Contraband on your ship, on your person, or in the inventory of one of your companions, it will get detected, and you will get a bounty on your head.

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Can you avoid Contraband detection in Starfield?

While Starfield does not go out of its way to explain it all that much, you will be able to avoid Contraband detection when passing through scan areas. However, that will be based on probability and there is a fair bit of RNG involved.

The two methods to do it will be by unlocking the Deception skill or using a Shielded Cargo module. The latter being the more reliable option out of the two.

So if you don't want to sell your Contraband right away, you can install a Sheilded Cargo on your ship, and place the banned items inside it so that it has a chance to dodge detection.

Shielded Cargo can be purchased once you have joined the Crimson Fleet, unlocked The Key, and met Jasmine.

But as mentioned, the Shielded Cargo will not give you 100% protection from detection. There is a chance that it can get detected, and more heavier the load of your contraband, the more likely will it be caught in the scan.

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Where to sell Starfield Contraband?

So if you have a fair bit of stolen goods and Contraband in your ship to inventory, the best way to sell them off will be to make your way to Trade Authority buildings.

Trade Authority Buildings are located throughout the galaxy in Starfield and they are the only place where you will be able to sell your Contraband and stolen goods.

However, you are recommended to go to the shop in the area where there is no ship scan. The Den Trade Authority shop in the Wolf system is the best place to sell Contrabands, as your ship will not be scanned once you enter the atmosphere.

Once you have approached the shop, you will need to interact with it. It will open up your inventory, so select all the stolen goods and Contraband and sell them all. It’s by far one of the fastest ways to farm money in Starfield.