Your Probably Stolen starting point
Choose Apprentice and a gentler difficulty. Inspect before negotiating, use the right check for each type of item, and keep the next rent payment out of your stock budget. If you cannot explain why a purchase will make money, pass on it.
01 / Beginner guide
Set up your first Probably Stolen run
Choose Apprentice for your first Probably Stolen run. Its generalist approach gives you space to learn inspection and trading while upgrading the shop. Read the difficulty modifiers before confirming; use a gentler option when you want time to learn what the tools and customer responses mean.
Keep your first goal small: understand a few goods, complete trades you can explain and preserve money for the next bill. A specialist setup can be fun once you know which part of Probably Stolen you want to spend more time on.
| Your preferred routine | Starting choice | What you will manage |
|---|---|---|
| Learn a little of everything | Apprentice | General trading and gradual upgrades |
| Test and process a product | Water Merchant | Water quality, purification and resale |
| Grow or breed stock | Hydroponic Farmer / Aquafarmer | Equipment, supplies and production conditions |
| Trade weapons | Gunsmith | Permits, modifications and inspections |
| Handle stolen goods | Fence | Questionable stock and security pressure |
| Learn a specialist production system | Chemist / Rat Wrangler | Chemistry or animal care |
| Build up from nothing | Rock Bottom | An intentionally demanding opening |
02 / Beginner guide
Build a Probably Stolen daily routine
A Probably Stolen day moves from opening the shop and serving customers to closing, going out after hours and sleeping. Use that rhythm to give each decision a place. Inspection belongs before an offer; checking the day's money belongs before another spending spree.
Before opening: check your position
Read the newspaper and overnight report, then check available cash, the next bill and stock you already own. Decide what you can afford to buy today.
At the counter: inspect, then price
Call the next customer, check their goods and decide on an offer only after you understand the item.
After a deal: read the response
Watch changes in money, stock and relationships. A completed transaction alone does not tell you whether the decision helped.
Before sleeping: review the day
See what sold and what stayed on the shelf. Keep the rent reserve intact before spending after hours.
In Probably Stolen, an item sitting in storage is money you cannot use for rent yet.
03 / Beginner guide
Use Probably Stolen news to rethink an offer
Read the newspaper before restocking in Probably Stolen. Station events can change the market for a category of goods. Check which products an event affects, then compare the current offer with what you were paying before. A headline is a reason to reassess a deal, not a reason to empty your wallet.
Probably Stolen customers also have different budgets and bargaining responses. Read the customer and the current negotiation panel rather than applying one markup to everyone. If a buyer cannot afford your stock, a larger asking price will not solve the problem; reconsider the item, the quantity or the deal.
Watch what actually changes after your counteroffer: the proposed payment, the customer's response and the reputation feedback. Keep the approaches that earn a useful margin without repeatedly losing the customers you want to trade with.
In Probably Stolen, compare today's offer with today's conditions. Yesterday's profitable price is a reference, not a promise.
04 / Beginner guide
Use the right Probably Stolen inspection tool
Different goods need different checks in Probably Stolen. For cigarettes, use the inspection view and compare the pack with the handbook. Look closely before agreeing to a price; treating every pack as genuine is an easy way to overpay.
For water, use testing equipment to check what you have. If it needs processing, filter it and check the result before deciding how to sell it. A label alone does not make water safe, and passing off poor-quality stock creates its own risk.
For rare goods, appraise the object before making an expensive offer. Compare the details you can inspect with the appraisal information. If you still do not understand the value, keep your offer conservative or refuse the deal. Probably Stolen gives you room to walk away.
| Goods at the counter | Your next action | What you are checking |
|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes | Inspect and compare with the handbook | Authenticity before you buy |
| Water | Test, process when needed, then check again | Quality before resale |
| Rare or unfamiliar valuables | Use appraisal information | Identity and value before your offer |
| Weapons or questionable stock | Check permits and consider inspections | Whether the trade fits the risk you can carry |
05 / Beginner guide
Make an offer that leaves you room
Before a Probably Stolen purchase, ask three questions: what am I paying, what else must I spend to make it saleable, and what money will remain afterward? A low purchase price can still be a poor choice if treatment or equipment absorbs your cash.
Leave room between your total cost and the sale you expect. Watch the customer's response while negotiating, and be willing to lose a deal that no longer makes sense. Do not treat a hoped-for future sale as cash already in your wallet.
When the same type of item repeatedly leaves you short, change one part of your routine: inspect more carefully, buy less or offer less. That gives you a clearer lesson than switching the entire shop into a different business at once.
06 / Beginner guide
Earn from Probably Stolen appraisal jobs
Probably Stolen inspection does two jobs. Checking stock protects you from a bad purchase; an appraisal customer pays you to value their object. Recognize which transaction you are handling before offering money for an item that was brought in for a valuation.
For a Probably Stolen appraisal job, open the relevant guide, inspect the object's features and submit an estimate you can justify. Read the resulting appraisal feedback to see where your valuation went wrong. Use that result to improve the next estimate rather than guessing a higher number for a bigger payout.
Appraisal can earn fees without tying cash up in purchased stock. When membership or an upgrade is offered, compare its cost with your available budget and the item checks you already understand. Keep the next payment covered while you learn the service.
07 / Beginner guide
Watch the person as well as the product
Probably Stolen customers may have ties to security, rebels or the station's elite. A decision can affect access and relationships as well as immediate profit. Read the exchange and watch faction feedback before treating a risky customer as ordinary business.
Keep the Probably Stolen wanted list handy and compare a visitor's face with it before reporting them. A generic customer title does not settle their identity. Reporting can earn a bounty, but also removes a person you might otherwise trade with or learn more about. Check the match, listen to the request and decide which consequence you want to take.
Stay alert for Augs, people taken over by a rogue AI implant. Check for a visible chip, unusual pupils and an unsettling expression. Slow down and compare the details rather than reacting to one vague impression.
Your first Probably Stolen run is easier to understand when you keep questionable trades limited. Once you can reliably price ordinary stock and keep the rent reserve intact, you can decide how much extra scrutiny a larger margin is worth.
08 / Beginner guide
Finish the day with your rent protected
Probably Stolen rent is a recurring cost that rises over time. Read the amount and timing in your own run, then separate that money from what you can spend on stock. Different starts and difficulty settings make a universal shopping budget unhelpful.
If your cash is short, sell through stock you understand before buying another machine. If cash is healthy but goods are piling up, pause expansion and work out why they are not selling. Use the Probably Stolen rent guide next to test a planned purchase against your actual bill.
Before your next deal
Probably Stolen questions, answered.
What is the best Probably Stolen start for beginners?
Choose Apprentice for a general trading start and select a gentler difficulty while learning. It lets you build an inspection and pricing routine before committing to a specialist business.
Should I buy every cheap item in Probably Stolen?
Buy only when you understand the item, the extra costs and how you expect to sell it. Leave enough cash for rent; a cheap object can still trap money you need for bills.
How do I identify fake goods in Probably Stolen?
Use the check that matches the item: compare cigarettes with the handbook, test water and use appraisal information for rare objects. Inspect before making your offer.
Can I earn in Probably Stolen without buying more stock?
Appraisal jobs pay you to value a customer's object rather than buy it. Learn the relevant inspection guide, submit an estimate and use the appraisal feedback to improve. Budget for any entry or upgrade cost before relying on the service.
Can I keep playing Probably Stolen with my demo save?
Demo saves can transfer to the full game. Start a fresh run if you want to experience the added opening storylines, and check compatibility before reusing old demo mods.
Keep your business moving
Your next Probably Stolen move.
Updated · Space Games