Where to sell Contraband in Starfield & how to smuggle
BethesdaIn Starfield, anything you steal is considered a Contraband, you can profit from these items by selling and smuggling them. Here’s how to sell and smuggle Contraband in Starfield, if you wish to remove the stolen items from your inventory.
Starfield enables players to earn huge rewards, albeit with higher risks through Contrabands. Although smuggling and selling stolen goods is highly profitable, if you’re caught by the authorities, it can lead to prison time and bounties.
It’s easy to become a space pirate in Starfield if you know how to manage the stolen goods. From improving your Deception skills to visiting space stations that let your ship pass without scanning, there are several things that you must learn to start smuggling.
With that in mind, here’s everything to know about Contraband in Starfield, including how to smuggle it and where to sell it.
- What is Contraband in Starfield?
- List of all Contraband items in Starfield and their value
- How to smuggle Contraband in Starfield
- Where to sell Contraband in Starfield
- What happens if you’re caught smuggling Contraband in Starfield?
What is Contraband in Starfield?
Contraband in Starfield is any set of stolen goods that aren’t welcome in patrolled areas. These are marked with a small yellow icon, as opposed to the red symbol shown on regular stolen loot.
The key difference between the two is that ships are checked for Contraband before you land on any planet controlled by the United Colonies or Freestar Collective. But if the authorities discover any Contraband items, you will have to surrender both or risk a fight.
BethesdaList of all Contraband items in Starfield and their value
The following items in Starfield can be Contraband and the table also reveals their value in the black market:
| Contraband item | Value | Mass | Value/Mass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mech Components | 12290 | 3.8 | 3234 |
| Va’ruun Heretic Writings | 8190 | 2 | 4095 |
| Harvested Organs | 13500 | 3 | 4500 |
| Stolen Artwork | 15600 | 3 | 5200 |
| Sentient AI Adapters | 14840 | 2.5 | 5936 |
| Xenowarfare Tech | 16110 | 2.5 | 6444 |
| Aurora | 760 | 0.1 | 7600 |
How to smuggle Contraband in Starfield
The easiest way of smuggling Contraband in Starfield is by equipping your ship with a shielded cargo hold. These protect the stolen items from scanners and help you slip through the patrol undetected.
At the start of the game, your ship will have a regular cargo hold that offers no protection, but this can be upgraded by visiting a Rare Parts Dealer. They are also offered out as quest rewards, or you can simply commandeer another ship that already has the part in place.
Another piece of equipment that helps in avoiding the scanners is Scan Jammers sold by black market vendors such as Lon Anderson and Jasmine Durand. However, they aren’t 100% effective and the best ones cost a fortune.
The other option for smuggling Contraband is by upgrading the Deception skill on the Social skill tree to Rank 4, which makes the scanners less effective.
Lastly, make sure to never carry Contraband personally (in your character’s inventory) as there’s a 100% chance of the authorities catching you with it.
BethesdaWhere to sell Contraband in Starfield
Starfield players can sell Contraband at any Trade Authority vendor, which can be found on most major planets in the game. However, the easiest ones to track down are Marcel Duris in The Den or Zoe Kaminski on Jemison.
These vendors will happily take any Contraband items off your hands and pay you for the trouble of smuggling them in.
Another option open to players who have built a relationship with Crimson Fleet is The Key, which also has store owners that will purchase the goods. The Key also doesn’t scan ships on approach, so it’s a safe way to smuggle if you don’t have a ship capable of keeping hidden.
What happens if you’re caught smuggling Contraband in Starfield?
If you’re caught smuggling Contraband in Starfield, you’ll instantly lose your Contraband items and you’ll have to choose to face one of the following consequences:
- Fine – Pay the fine in Credits and clear your record. You’re also free to leave after paying the requested fine.
- Jail – You can stay in jail for a certain time. You won’t lose Credits but there will be a loss of XP.
- Prison escape – If you successfully escape from prison, the police will put a bounty on you which can be cleared by paying a price or more jail time.
- Bribery – You can bribe the authorities with the Negotiation skill. At a higher skill level, you might get away without paying anything as bribery but do note that this method doesn’t guarantee success.
If none of the methods mentioned above helps you save your Contraband, make sure to check out our guide on how to get back Contraband in Starfield.
That was everything you need to know about smuggling in Starfield. For more on Bethesda’s RPG, check out our other guides:
All romanceable characters in Starfield | Does Starfield have multiplayer or co-op? | Does Starfield have mod support? | Does Starfield have New Game Plus? | Is Starfield on Steam Deck? | All Starfield character creation options | Is Starfield on Xbox Game Pass for PC & console | Starfield Outposts explained