Looking to turn your ill-gotten gains into credits without ending up in a cell? In Starfield, selling contraband is as risky as it is lucrative-unless you know where to go and how to smuggle. From hidden Trade Authority kiosks in lawless space stations to upgrading your ship with shielded cargo holds and scan jammers, here’s how savvy spacefarers outwit the authorities and cash in on the galaxy’s most forbidden loot.
Contraband items are labeled with a small yellow marker in your inventory, the same way stolen items are labeled with a red marker. Not every planet has patrolled areas, so you can take your contraband freely with you to most places. Or, if you have a house on Nesoi from the Dream Home trait, you can always drop off your drugs there before heading to one of the more guarded planets. (That’s what we do!) But it’s also possible to sneak things in.
Where to sell contraband in Starfield
If you’re looking to sell contraband in Starfield, the safest and most convenient option is The Den, a space station in the Wolf system. Unlike other locations, The Den does not scan ships for contraband upon arrival, making it the best place to offload illegal goods without the risk of being caught. Simply dock at The Den, head to the Trade Authority room just left of the entrance, and sell your contraband to the vendor there. Trade Authority shops and kiosks in major settlements like New Atlantis and Cydonia will also buy contraband, but you risk being scanned and arrested unless you have shielded cargo or successfully evade detection. For those aligned with the Crimson Fleet, The Key in the Kryx system offers another scan-free location to sell contraband, though it is farther away. Always keep in mind that Trade Authority vendors have limited credits, but you can refresh their funds by waiting 48 hours in-game.
While the thrill of doing a crime might be a reward in and of itself, the real prize for smuggling contraband in Starfield is the credits you get from selling it.
Not many places will deal in smuggled goods, though. You can sell contraband at Trade Authority kiosks as they thankfully don’t have such hangups, and will happily take it off your hands – and, better yet, they usually have more money on hand than most other vendors.
The Den, a space station in the Wolf system, is absolutely the best spot to sell your stolen goods early on in Starfield. Not only does it have both a Trade Authority store and a kiosk less than a 15-second walk from your ship, but the people who run the station won’t scan your ship for contraband at all when you dock. This means that you can easily jump into The Den, offload thousands of credits worth of illegal goods, and hop back on your ship – all without ever alerting the authorities.
However, as long as you manage to get your stuff past customs (more on that below), you’ll find a yellow Trade Authority kiosk at almost every settlement with a spaceport. Full Trade Authority storefronts are a little rarer, but you’ll find one in Cydonia on Mars in the Sol system and a big flashy one in Neon on Volii II in the Volii system.
How to smuggle contraband through patrolled areas
Smuggling contraband through patrolled areas in Starfield requires careful preparation and the right ship upgrades. To maximize your chances of evading detection during cargo scans, you should install a Shielded Cargo Hold on your ship, which conceals illegal items from standard scans. Adding Scan Jammers further increases your odds by disrupting scan effectiveness, though they work best when combined with shielded cargo rather than on their own. Additionally, investing in the Deception skill from the Social skill tree provides a passive bonus to your smuggling success rate. Always place contraband in your ship’s cargo hold-not your personal inventory-and keep the total amount of contraband low relative to your shielded capacity, as overloading the hold raises your risk of being caught. Even with all precautions, there’s always a chance of failing a scan, so it’s wise to save your game before attempting to enter heavily patrolled systems.
If you love smuggling goods, you can take the Deception skill, which is in the second tier of the social skill tree. It’ll make your ship less susceptible to contraband scans, decreasing your risk of being caught by 10% at rank one and up to 50% at rank four.
You can also upgrade your ship to bypass scanners, but you’ll have to store your contraband in your cargo hold, not your inventory for this to work. Cargo holds like the “100CM Ballast Shielded Cargo Hold” give you 160 mass of shielded cargo space. You can also buy a scan jammer, which increases your chance of evading cargo ship scans by a set percentage.
The more contraband you have, the higher chance you’ll have of getting caught, even with the shielded cargo, so beware of trying to take too much into one of these guarded areas.
Where to buy ship upgrades for smuggling
To buy ship upgrades for smuggling in Starfield, you need to seek out specific vendors who offer specialized modules like shielded cargo holds and scan jammers. The most reliable places to purchase these upgrades are from Jasmine Durand, the Ship Services Technician on The Key-a pirate base accessible during the Crimson Fleet questline-and from Lon Anderssen at the Red Mile on Porrima III. These vendors sell shielded cargo holds, which are essential for hiding contraband from security scans. Additionally, most major settlements have Ship Services Technicians near their landing pads who can help you modify your ship, though not all will stock smuggling-specific modules. For the best smuggling setup, focus on acquiring a shielded cargo hold and, if available, a scan jammer to maximize your chances of evading detection.
Note that not many spaceports will sell this stuff, but we did find a guy who will: Lon Anderssen in the Red Mile on Porrima III (in the Porrima system, east of Alpha Centauri).
With no perks, the “Scan Jammer – Single-Frequency” cost us 2,940 credits and adding a “Caravel V101 Shielded Cargo Hold” cost 2,548 credits. This price does not include the cost of upgrading engines and the like to account for the added weight. These two upgrades let us smuggle in one can of Aurora to Neon at a 65% chance to pass.
What happens if you get caught with contraband?
If you get caught with contraband in Starfield, authorities will immediately detain you and present several options: you can pay a fine, serve a jail sentence, attempt to escape, or try to bribe your way out. Regardless of your choice, all contraband in your inventory and ship storage will be confiscated. Paying the fine will clear your record but cost you credits, while serving jail time results in lost experience points. Attempting to fight or flee can escalate the situation, leading to a higher bounty and potentially more severe consequences. In some cases, getting caught may even trigger a unique questline, especially the first time you’re apprehended. If your contraband is confiscated, you can try to retrieve it by breaking into the security office’s “Stolen Items Locker,” but this requires advanced lockpicking skills.
The ships scanning you will stop you and ask to board. You can always deny them and fight to the death, but similarly to fighting officers after being caught stealing, it’s not really worth it.
If you let them board, however, not only will they confiscate your contraband, but they will also take any stolen loot (marked with the red emblem) from you.
Where is the safest place to sell contraband without getting scanned in Starfield
The safest place to sell contraband in Starfield without getting scanned is The Den, a space station located in the Wolf system. Upon arrival at The Den, there are no security scans for contraband, making it the most reliable and hassle-free location for offloading illicit goods. Simply dock at The Den and visit the Trade Authority vendor inside to complete your sale.
Why is The Den considered the safest spot to sell contraband in Starfield
The Den is considered the safest spot to sell contraband in Starfield because it is a unique space station in the Wolf system where you are not subjected to any security scans upon arrival. Unlike star systems controlled by the United Colonies or Freestar Collective-where your ship is always scanned for contraband, risking confiscation of goods and possible arrest-The Den allows you to dock and access the Trade Authority vendor without any risk of detection. This lack of security presence or scanning makes it the easiest and most reliable location to offload illicit items safely.
