Probably Stolen Beginner Guide: Appraisal and Shop Basics

What should you do before your first trades?

Set aside the next rent payment before buying stock. For each offer, inspect the goods, judge the price and check that you have room to store them.

1. Check the landlord’s payment amount and due date. Work out how much cash is left for purchases.
2. Stock the display case with the kind of goods you want customers to buy.
3. Use the magnifying glass on inspectable items. Open containers and machines to preview them before buying.
4. Decide whether you have both storage space and a likely buyer before accepting the offer.

Keep contraband out of the display case. If an item is stolen or illegal, use the crime and hiding guide to check its heat and contraband tier.

How do you use the magnifying glass?

Magnifying glass: find the fault before confronting the seller

Use the magnifying glass on an item marked as inspectable to open its inspection tray. Select the problem at the bottom of the tray, then choose “Confront”.

One genuine fault is enough to challenge a counterfeit. A correct accusation makes the customer adjust the price. A wrong one costs reputation, and the customer may leave.

A seller can also mistake a genuine item for a counterfeit. If you tell them it is genuine through the inspection panel, they raise the asking price and grant you reputation. Weigh that reputation gain against the higher purchase price.

What does a visible counterfeit clue look like?

Start with a detail you can compare directly. The Hemingway cigarette handbook says genuine packs always have an intact security seal. These two in-game seal details show what to look for at the center of the pack.

A missing seal also identifies a counterfeit. Check spelling, font, alignment and missing lettering next. The cigarette handbook lists these as signs of fraud. Once you find a clear fault, return to the tray and select the matching reason.

How does the display case attract buyers?

The display case sits to the left of the shutter door. Stock it before opening. The kinds of items inside attract a customer looking to buy that type of goods. The initial case attracts one customer per day; upgrades increase that number.

For example, many food items and one low-value medical item bring a food buyer the following day. The total value in the case also affects the customer’s social class. Choose its stock to support the kind of inventory you want to sell.

Putting contraband in the display case leads to arrest. Arrange hidden storage separately from the goods you display.

Is an offer worth buying?

Use the item and base-price reference to identify the item, then check its condition, contents and asking price. Base value is a comparison point, not a guaranteed sale price.

Subtract the next rent payment from your cash before planning purchases. The landlord’s message gives the amount and due date, including missed rent from the previous week where applicable. Equipment and consumables must fit within the money left over.

Think about how you will sell the purchase. Goods ready for resale, raw materials that need processing and equipment that occupies space tie up your cash differently. For a water business, read the water-quality guide. To turn BloomBerries into wine, follow the winemaking guide.

How do you tidy a crowded inventory?

Select the items you want to move together, then organize the remaining space. Update 049 added these controls:

Task	Control
Move several items	Drag a selection box, then move the selected group
Place items precisely in another inventory	Hold Shift while dragging
Sort an inventory	Right-click its grid to open the sorting menu
Check a container or machine for sale	Open its preview before buying
Rotate or flip a dragged item	Use mouse wheel up, mouse wheel down or middle click

See the official Update 049 announcement for these controls. Clear enough room before committing to a large machine.

When you want a different opening, compare the starting scenarios and traits. For older gameplay videos, Demo versus Playtest explains the version differences.

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This guide uses the Mentor’s Notes, inspection handbook and interface text in Demo 049-Rev5-L, plus the September 14 Update 049 announcement. The magnifying glass and seal details are original assets from the same Demo build.