Starfield is a game for anyone who loves exploring. During your adventures, you’ll find yourself picking up so many materials, from weapons and armor to ammo and junk items. Occasionally, the stuff you pick up is considered Contraband. If you arrive at any of the main cities of Neon, New Atlantis, or Akila with this in your inventory, you’ll be arrested and have it removed. So, what do you do then? The answer is to sell it, but only a handful of places allow you to do this. Here are the best places to sell Contraband in Starfield.
Best Places to Sell Contraband in Starfield
The Key
The Key is the home of the Crimson Fleet. You’ll gain access to it only by beginning the Crimson Fleet questline. Once you get access to The Key, you’ll find a variety of merchants, all too happy to buy any kind of contraband you happen to have. You’ll have permanent access to these merchants if you complete the Crimson Fleet plotline and side with the Fleet in the process. If you betray them, it’s gone forever — so weigh these options carefully.
The Den
If you don’t want to get into the pirate life, there’s another place to sell your contraband very early in the game. The Den is located in the Wolf system. Despite the UC presence there, you won’t be scanned on the way in. When you get there, you’ll find that the Trade Authority is available there. The Trade Authority has no qualms with buying contraband from you. Anywhere they are, you’ll be able to sell your contraband.
Related: How to Make Money Fast in Starfield
Cydonia
Cydonia is a very cool little slice of life in Starfield that gives us a look at the more common folk of the galaxy. This gritty area is full of bars, shops, and, most importantly, the Trade Authority. The Trade Authority here will buy your contraband with no questions asked.
New Atlantis
This is a bit of a tougher task, as you’ll always be scanned on the way in. Upgrade your skills to improve your ship detection chance. Alternatively, pick up an item that jams the scanners of the UC or Freestar ships. You can smuggle in contraband by the boatload. New Atlantis has a Trade Authority shop here, so you can unload that hard-earned contraband. You can find the Trade Authority in The Well. It’s an underground section of the map accessed via the elevator by the train that takes you all over.
Neon
Neon is the seediest city in the galaxy. It feels practically lawless when you explore it, so you can bet there is an opportunity to sell your contraband here. I found the entry to Neon with contraband almost requires the scan jammer. For whatever reason, I was constantly caught with contraband on the way in. It didn’t matter how much I invested in my ship detection skills. If you can get it, one of the more prominent Trade Authority stores is here and available to trade contraband with.
Ships
While it’s impossible to predict when you’ll encounter them, Trade Authority ships do exist and can be traded with when you find them. Just like their on-world counterparts, Trade Authority ships are open to buying contraband from you.
Those are the best places to sell contraband in Starfield. It’s a tricky business, but if you do it successfully, you will make an incredible amount of money very quickly. For more tips on Starfield, check out our guides section.
