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Starfield contraband explained: Where to sell contraband and how to avoid detectionHere’s the easiest and best place to sell contraband in Starfield early on
Here’s the easiest and best place to sell contraband in Starfield early on
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios
Where can you sell Starfield contraband?InStarfield, contraband means anything illegal to possess or trade in a given location. If you have contraband, it typically means you’ve gotten your hands on some outlawed items or substances. The game marks yourStarfieldcontraband with a yellow marker in your inventory so you can track anything you might need to sell on the black market.
Owning contraband can get you in lots of trouble very quickly, so below we reveal thebest place to sell contraband in Starfieldearly on. We’ll also go over how to hide contraband and avoid detection using Shielded Cargo Holds, skill upgrades, and more.
In this guide:
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Starfield contraband explained
If you notice an item in your inventory with ayellow symbolnext to it, then it is contraband. Contraband in Starfield is a step above stolen items. Stealing items is illegal, yes - but contraband is illegal no matter how you got your hands on it. And it’s usually worth a lot more as a result.
Anytime you see a yellow icon like this one, you’re carrying contraband. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios
Smuggling Starfield contraband can net you a lot of extra credits, but you will face serious consequences if caught selling or harboring any prohibited items. When entering patrolled, faction-controlled areas such as cities or space stations, you will subject your ship to a contraband scan.
While you can resist this scan, it’s not advisable as it can lead to severe consequences. Once you allow the authorities on your ship, they will take anything considered contraband and any stolen loot as well.
Where to sell contraband in Starfield
The Wolf System is the best place to sell contraband in Starfield. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios
Dock with The Den space station and sell your contraband at the Trade Authority there. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios
The moment you get any contraband you should head straight there and sell the illicit items in question, because if you go to any other star system in the interim, you run the risk of being detected carrying contraband.
Once you’re in the Wolf System, head to The Den in the star system map,dock with the space station, and then speak to the trader in the Trade Authority room behind the wall on the left as you enter the station. Here you can sell your contraband items until you run out of stock, or the trader runs out of credits to give you.
Other places to sell contraband in Starfield include:
Pro Tip:if the trader you’re selling contraband to runs out of credits, use the pass time mechanic to wait 48 hours and their credits will be replenished, allowing you to sell more contraband to them!
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios
Starfield contraband items
Contraband items in Starfield show up in your inventory or cargo hold with a yellow icon next to them, denoting that they are illegal contraband. Below is a list of all known contraband items in Starfield and their value on the black market:
If you own a house, you can store your contraband safely there. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bethesda Game Studios
How to hide contraband in Starfield
But in a pinch, you can store contraband more or less anywhere there is a container to house it. Items in Starfield persist in storage. I once left a bunch of organs in a random cooler in a Spacer moon base, and returned later to collect it once I was ready to sell.
How to smuggle contraband in Starfield
Here are the best ways to hide and smuggle contraband in Starfield:
Keep in mind that no matter what ship upgrades and skills you have, there is always a chance of failing a cargo scan if you have contraband on your ship. And the more contraband you have, the more likely authorities will catch you with these items, which is true no matter how many precautions you take. But these are the ways that you can increase your chances of avoiding detection while smuggling contraband in Starfield.
Never have contraband on your person
Improve your Deception skill
Get a Shielded Cargo Hold
Starfield’s shielded cargo hold upgrade makes it more difficult for scans to detect contraband. For the effect to work, you must remember to store your contraband items in your cargo hold instead of your inventory.
If you want to buy a shielded cargo hold, you can visitLon Anderssen, an NPC located on theRed MileonPorrima III. You can also purchase these items fromJasmine Durand, the Ship Services Technician onThe Key, which you can access during theDeep Covermission.
To get a shielded cargo hold, simply talk to the ship technician and peruse their upgrades. At this point, you can upgade your ship just as you would with a faction ship technician. You’ll find several different cargo holds, and they vary in effectiveness. As you might guess, the higher-quality upgrades are more effective, but they’re also much more expensive, so gather a good number of credits beforehand if you plan to purchase these items. Alternatively, you can also choose to purchase an entirely new ship that has shielded cargo space.
Typically, the more shielded cargo space you have, the less likely you are to get caught with any given amount of contraband. However, if you fill your shielded cargo space to maximum capacity with Starfield contraband, you are still likely to get caught.
Use a Scan Jammer
Both Lon Anderson and Jasmine Durand sell scan jammers as ship upgrades, so check out their options while you’re upgrading your cargo hold. Like the shielded cargo holds, scan jammers have varying degrees of effectiveness, and the most effective ones are also the most expensive.
What happens if you get caught with contraband?
If you are caught with Starfield contraband and are facing an arrest, you can pay the fine, serve your jail sentence, attempt to escape, or try to bribe the authorities. Each option has pros and cons. In each case, you will lose all Starfield contraband in your inventory and yourship storage.
Pay the fine
If you choose to pay the fine, you will lose the requested credits. However, your record will be clear, and you are free to go.
Serve your jail sentence
If you accept your jail sentence, you will have to stay imprisoned for the requisite amount of time and will lose XP.
Attempt to escape
Offer a bribe
If you have chosen the StarfieldNegotiationskill, one of the game’s tier 2 social skill tree options, you will gain the potential to bribe authorities. As you level this up, bribes will cost less money; at rank four, they will sometimes cost no money. However, bribery doesn’t guarantee success, so be prepared to suffer the consequences if you aren’t successful in your dealings with authorities.
How to take back contraband
If you are caught smuggling contraband, all your contraband will be taken from you - but you can get it back! Head to the security office of the faction that took the contraband items from you (for United Colonies the headquarters are in New Atlantis, directly in front of the landing pad stairs).
Inside, you’ll find a container laballed “Stolen Items Locker”. If you pick the Expert-level lock on this container with yourStarfield lockpickingskills, you’ll be able to take back all of the contraband that was confiscated from you.
That’s everything you need to know about selling Starfield contraband. If you’re just jumping into Bethesda’s all-new space adventure, be sure to also check out our guides tothe best skills on the Starfield skill tree,Starfield character creation, andall Starfield traits and how they work. We’ve also got guides for theStarfield romance optionsandStarfield cheats.
