How to smuggle/get rid of Contraband in Starfield

In Starfield, it's very important to know the basics of how to run your ship, from upgrading its shield capacity and storage space to knowing how to fly it. Also, on the chance that you decide to lean toward the morally gray side, you're also going to want to know how to smuggle some contraband in it. Despite these illegal items being very valuable, you can easily get in trouble with the law for carrying them with you, so it is better to try and stay under the radar. And here's how!

How to hide Contraband items in Starfield

If you happen to be carrying any contraband items, whether in your personal inventory, your ship inventory, your companion's inventory, or even dropped right on the floor of your ship, you can be caught by the scan done while attempting to land your ship. You will see the scan process happening on your HUD, and it will notify you if you are currently carrying any contraband. The percentage below will show what chance of success you have of getting past the scan. If your chance to conceal it fails, you will be boarded and arrested, or you can attempt to fight your way out of it.

The only way to get past a scan is to increase your success right of concealment by implementing some components to your ship and increasing your skill at completing these illegal activities.

Related: How to Fly Faster in Starfield

Contraband Ship Components

To increase your chances of not getting caught, your best bet is to upgrade your ship with the following components:

• Shielded Cargo Hold - A cargo hold with an extra shield of protection on it that will conceal any contraband items.
• Scan Jammer - A rare component that is equipped to your ship that will block out scans for a chance of concealing contraband.

These items are not upgrades or components you can just purchase from the Ship Vendor. Instead, you will need to go straight to the criminal masterminds, the Crimson Fleet. You can find the Shielded Cargo Holds for sale through Jasmine Durand on the Crimson's Fleet space station, The Key. The Jammers are much more rare to get your hands on and more often times found already equipped on specific ships you can buy, rather than trying to purchase the component individually.

Occasionally, you can also just purchase a whole new 'shielded' ship that will come with these components already installed and will increase your chances of concealing successfully. But you should expect these to cost a pretty penny.

Smuggling Traits

There are some other ways you can try to increase your chances of flying under the radar besides installing your ship with components, and this is skill tree traits. You can put your skill points toward these particularly shady skills, such as Deception or Concealment, which will increase your chances of not getting caught by scans or while picking up the contraband items to begin with.

Related: Starfield Character Builder – Tools for Creating Builds

How to sell contraband items in Starfield

You can't just sell contraband in any old shop or vendor. You'll need to head to places that are okay with handling these illicit goods. Thankfully, there is a shop you can go to in almost any major city around the galaxies called Trade Authority. However, they will most likely not sell for the full value price. Still, this is one of the quickest ways to get rid of them if you don't want to risk taking the items into space for a scan.

You can also sell directly to the Crimson Fleet by speaking to Jasmine at The Key, the same place you buy the ship components you need to smuggle it. She might give you a slightly increased price than the Trade Authority, but it will be a little more complicated to reach her.

If you're looking to make some credits in a little legal way, then you're going to want to know how to smuggle and to smuggle well. Ensure you take the time to install the proper components to your ship and sell the items off as soon as you can to avoid getting caught.

What are contraband items in Starfield?

Contraband items are items that display a little red or yellow arrow icon in the description. This means that they are illegal, and you can receive a bounty if you're seen picking them up or when scanned in space before landing. However, they can also be some of the valuable items to sell in the game if you can find the right buyers and if you can avoid getting caught with them.

Looking for more Pro Game Guides Starfield content? Check out our guides on All Starfield Romance Options and FAQ or How to exit command console in Starfield!