You sell contraband in Probably Stolen the same way you sell anything else: offer it to a customer who wants it at the counter and haggle a price. The difference is who buys it and what it costs you afterward, since Black Market customers and a few others pay well for it, the Merchant never touches it, and every contraband sale adds evidence to Security’s case against your shop.
There is also a second outlet, the overnight Underground Exchange, which trades goods for goods instead of credits. Here is how to spot contraband in Probably Stolen, who buys it, how the Exchange works, and how to keep your stock and your record out of Security’s hands. The store page sums up the trade-off in one line: “contraband brings raids.”
How to Tell What Counts as Contraband
Every item has a contraband level. Legal goods are safe; contraband comes in low, mid and high levels, and the higher the level, the bigger the risk if Security finds it. Some examples of what counts:
- Drugs such as Dream Dust, the Chemist start’s main product.
- Sealed Security crates. The Security Department Supply Crate and Evidence Locker are contraband until you open them, as our guide to opening crates explains.
- Some machine modules, like the Neural Core Module covered in our best modules guide.
- Disposable Batteries, which the 1.0.0.12 update made low-level contraband.
Stolen goods are a related but separate risk. Fencing them is its own line of crime, and it is the whole business of the Fence start.
Who Buys Contraband
Who will buy depends on the item, but a few patterns hold:
- Black Market customers are the main buyers. You can spot them by their black dialog box. The Shopping Thief and the Shady Merchant both pay for contraband like Security keycards.
- Revolution customers (green dialog box) buy some of it, Odin among them.
- Some Lower Levels collectors will pay too, depending on the item.
- The Merchant never buys contraband. He visits on Sundays and takes almost anything else.
- Security customers (red dialog box) are the ones to be careful with. The store page warns that “today’s customer could be a security fisher for evidence.”
When a buyer is at the counter, sell the way you sell anything: offer the item, then bargain. Our haggling guide covers how the bargain panel works, including how much reputation each deal moves.
How the Underground Exchange Works
The Underground Exchange is a barter market run through your janitorial crew. It does not pay credits; it swaps the goods you leave for something else overnight. To use it:
- Get access. It is open from the start on the Fence specialization, or once Sawyer introduces you. Taking the Sawyer’s Crew starting perk gets you that introduction early, and Sawyer hands over his Underground Exchange Directive.
- Use the Janitorial Service. The Exchange only works while you are paying for janitorial cleaning.
- Read the Directive. Activate the Underground Exchange Directive to see the current list of trades.
- Leave the goods in the trash can before you go to sleep.
- Collect your reward from the trash can in the morning. The crew makes the swap during the overnight cleaning.
The Exchange is also where a modified Smuggler’s Bay with extra room comes from. Keep your Black Market standing above -40, though: at that level the Exchange closes to you and the Janitorial Service costs double. Our guide to checking your reputation shows where that bar is.
Hide Your Stock From Inspections
Security inspects shops, and contraband it finds can be confiscated. The store page warns that “confiscated stock or a bad deal can leave you struggling to make the next payment.” The answer is a smuggler’s bay, a disguised storage bay “designed to hide its contents from inspection.”
| Bay | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Smuggler’s Bay | Dr. Jackson, on his Friday visits and at his place at night |
| Mini Smuggler’s Bay | The Chemist starts with one |
| Smuggler’s Bay (Modified) | A barter on the Underground Exchange; it holds more than the standard bay |
A few rules keep the bays working for you:
- Never put contraband in the display case. Showing it there can trigger an inspection, and the Playtest Patch 48.3.12 notes stopped those inspections from earning Security reputation when you pass them.
- The Mini Smuggler Bay can sit behind the poster. The first hotfix fixed hidden items being confiscated from a Mini Smuggler Bay kept behind the poster, so that spot is meant to be safe.
- Aim for the Security star. The top Security perk stops inspections entirely.
Keep Security’s Case Small
Every contraband sale adds to your criminal record, and a big enough record ends in arrest. The tools for keeping it down:
- The Intimidating perk, which cuts the evidence your crimes generate by 33%.
- Wild’s Fixers, a nightly service from Joe Wild’s network that cleans up evidence “not yet collected by Security, lowering your suspected crime level.” Our guide to upgrading your shop covers Wild’s Network.
- Quiet days. Your record decays each night, so spacing out big contraband sales gives it time to fall.
Our guide to not getting arrested explains how the investigation, the officer’s visit and fines work in full.
Is Selling Contraband Worth It?
For the right run, yes. The store page says it outright: “most of your best margins live in legal gray zones,” and the Fence and Chemist starts are built around it. Our best specialization breakdown compares those starts with the safer ones. Just treat Intimidating, a Smuggler’s Bay and a cash cushion for fines as part of the cost of doing business. Every other guide is on our Probably Stolen hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who buys contraband in Probably Stolen? Mostly Black Market customers, such as the Shopping Thief and the Shady Merchant, plus some Revolution and Lower Levels customers depending on the item. The Merchant never buys it.
How do you use the Underground Exchange? Activate the Underground Exchange Directive to see the trades, leave the goods it asks for in the trash can before sleeping, and collect the reward from the trash can in the morning. You need the Janitorial Service and access through the Fence start or Sawyer.
How do you hide contraband from Security? Store it in a Smuggler’s Bay, Mini Smuggler’s Bay or modified Smuggler’s Bay, which hide their contents from inspection, and never leave it in the display case.
Does selling contraband lower your reputation? Each sale moves your reputation with the buyer’s faction like any trade, and it adds evidence to Security’s case against you.
Why can’t I use the Underground Exchange anymore? Your Black Market reputation has probably fallen to -40, which bars you from it. Raise it with good deals for Black Market customers.