How To Sell Contraband in Starfield

Seasoned Starfield players know that survival relies heavily on how much money you can make in the game. At times, this may require you to resort to underhand tactics like selling contraband. And, like most illegal substances, these items can only be sold in the black market. They typically have yellow markers for easy tracking.

Keep reading to discover the best locations for selling contraband, how to find them, ways to avoid detection and essential smuggling tips.

Where to Sell Contraband

You need to find the right type of market to sell illegal items if you want to avoid trouble with the authorities. If found in possession of these items, you risk jail time, loss of goods, or a fine. Trade Authority Branches are some of the best locations for selling contraband:

• The Den: Players can find this space station within the Wolf System. It’s the best place to offload contraband because there are no scans. The Trade Authority shop can be spotted easily by moving slightly ahead of the ship docking area and turning left.
• The Key: You can find this location within the Kryx System. Players will need to join the Crimson Fleet to sell contraband in this area. It’s also a great place to sell because there is no scanning. But, it takes some distance to cover, which can be daunting for some players.
• Neon City: The Volii Alpha trading location is risky because they conduct scans, and there is a chance that you may be caught. You can find the Trade Authority shop close to the city’s security checkpoint. Simply turn left and take the elevator.
• Jemison Mercantile: This Trade Authority shop is adjacent to the House of the Enlightened in the Alpha Centauri System.
• Cydonia: The Trade Authority shop is on the Sol System lower level. It’s situated below the ramp that leads to the Central Plaza.
• Akila City: This market is located within the Cheyenne system. You’ll spot the Trade Authority store immediately after you enter Akila City’s main gate and turn right.

If the trader you’re selling contrabands to depletes their credit reserves, they will replenish their credits within 48 hours. You can pass in-game time by going to bed, helping you offload the items quicker. But, using this wait mechanism can affect your ongoing quests. Be aware that only Trade Authority shops or branches deal in contraband items. Kiosks can’t help you offload these illegal goods.

Starfield Where to Find Contraband

Neon City and prisons are the two top locations for collecting black-market goods. There’s a Euphoria vendor in Ebbside where you can buy the items. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll find contraband within a prison, cells like the Va’Ruun Heretic Writings hold a decent amount of illegal substances.

Understanding Starfield Contraband

These items aren’t the same as stolen goods. Even though they can both land you in trouble, they’re treated differently. The reason is that stealing is against the law, but the loot itself may not be illegal to bring to market. Meanwhile, contraband is unlawful for distribution. As a result, it carries more economic value than stolen material. Listed below is a list of all contraband items in the game.

• Aurora
• Harvested Organs
• Mech Components
• Sentient AI Adapters
• Stolen Artwork
• Va’Ruun Heretic Writings
• Xenowarfare Tech

Hiding Starfield Contraband

One of the best places to conceal black-market goods is by stashing them in an outpost within the star system. Make sure it doesn’t belong to a major faction to avoid scanning. Be aware that you risk losing your contraband if you don’t store it in a personal outpost.

Players can also hide banned goods in their houses. The Dream Trait can help you keep contraband safe because there is no scanning. But not having an outpost or the attribute doesn’t mean you can’t keep your items secure. Most of Starfield’s storage containers form good contraband housing spots.

Starfield Contraband Smuggling Tips

Players can utilize several methods to avoid detection when carrying black-market goods. But there’s always a chance you might fail a scan or get caught out of sheer bad luck. Remember, the higher the amount of contraband in your possession, the more likely the chances of detection by authorities. Listed below are tips to help you smuggle your items safely.

Don’t Carry Contraband in Your Inventory

Having your character holding black-market goods on their person is one of the worst rookie mistakes Starfield players can make. This is especially true if they’re using a faction ship since it must be scanned. The best way to navigate a faction-owned star system is to move all your contraband to your cargo hold.

Obtain the Deception Skill

You can get this attribute in the second level of the game’s social skill tree. It reduces players’ chances of getting caught in contraband scans by up to 50%.

Get a Shielded Cargo Hold

Players can obtain this ship upgrade by visiting Lon Anderssen. This is a non-player character (NPC) who sells shielded cargo holds. Here’s how you can get the part from him:

1. Choose the “Ship Builder” option with Lon. Make sure no other item is selected.
   
2. Click on the “Add” button.
   
3. Navigate to the “Cargo Hold” menu.
   
4. Buy the part.
   

If you want to purchase a ship with a shielded cargo hold, here’s what you can do:

1. Visit Lon Anderssen.
   
2. Navigate the “Buy” menu and select the “Trader Railstar” option.
   
3. Purchase the ship with the shielded cargo hold. It’ll cost you 72,000 credits.
   

Another way to get a shielded cargo hold is to complete the Deep Cover quest. This will help you find Jasmine Durand, a ship services technician on The Key. Here’s how you can obtain a shielded cargo hold from this NPC:

1. Interact with Jasmine Durand.
   
2. Scroll through the available upgrades.
3. Select your preferred choice and buy the shielded cargo hold.
   

Be aware that the better the upgrade, the more credits you’ll have to spend. Starfield players can also choose to hijack a ship with this infrastructure. You can identify it by checking the total cargo capacity gauge. Completing Starfield missions like Mantis side-quest can also reward you with cargo-shielded ships. A good example is the Razorleaf. Remember, the more capacity your shielded cargo holds, the higher your chances of avoiding contraband detection.

Use a Scan Jammer

You can buy this device from ship merchants who deal in contraband goods. It works by disrupting the scan signals. This reduces the risk of getting caught by the authorities by a specified percentage. But these scan jammers can’t work without shielded cargo holds.

Consequences of Selling Contraband in Starfield

Like every other illegal substance in the world, choosing to sell black-market goods has some risks. Players have several options to select from when they’re caught with contraband. However, whatever choice you make, you’ll still lose your items. This applies to contraband material in the cargo hold and within the inventory.

• Pay the Fine: This may be your best option if you want to uphold a clean record in the Starfield cosmos. But you’ll lose your credits.
• Serve a Jail Term: Getting a sentence is costly because it will diminish your experience points (XP). Don’t forget that you’ll also have to spend the stipulated time in prison, which means you can miss on other questlines.
• Escape: While it allows you to stay out of jail, this option isn’t worth it unless you love the thrill of a constant convict chase. The authorities will place a bounty over your head, ultimately forcing you to pay it off and serve longer jail time should you get caught.
• Bribe: This option can only be effective for players with the Starfield Negotiation trait. As you advance through the game, you can get away with smaller bribes. The only downside to this option is that it doesn’t guarantee success. Players will, therefore, have to prepare a backup plan in case bribing fails.

Retrieving Starfield Contraband

Even though you lose your items after detection, you can get them back. The steps below will guide you in retrieving your contraband:

1. Go to the security office of the faction that confiscated the black market goods.
   
2. Find the “Stolen Items Locker.”
   
3. Use lockpicking skills to break the expert-level security on this container.
   
4. Retrieve your contraband items.
   

Make a Quick Buck With Starfield Contraband

Building your Starfield dream ship requires money and time. Selling contraband provides a quick way of earning the necessary credits. But they’re illegal and can’t be traded at every store. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid getting arrested and offload the items profitably.

Have you ever smuggled contraband items? What’s your favorite location for offloading these black-market goods? Let us know in the comments section below.