Start With the Shop, Not an Expensive Production Line
Your first problem in Probably Stolen is turning the stock you have into enough cash for the next bill. A room full of valuable goods will not help when the landlord wants credits. This Probably Stolen beginner guide focuses on that first cycle: prepare the display, trade carefully, and keep money available for rent.
The practical examples below come from documented playtest player experience. They explain the trading loop without assuming every price, balance setting, or later release feature works identically in your build. The official Probably Stolen Steam page provides the developer's overview of the shopkeeping game.
Start by organizing the counter and reading the Mentor's information. Keep tools and reference books accessible, but give yourself room to inspect merchandise. In the recorded playtest, Q and E rotate held items; fitting awkward shapes properly can free useful storage space.
Prepare the Display Before Opening
The display is a way to influence the day's trade. Put merchandise in the display to attract buyers, and use category neon signs to encourage sellers. These serve different purposes: displaying food helps sell food, while the food sign helps bring you food to purchase.
In the recorded tutorial, the day's customers are determined when the shutter opens. Rearranging the display midway through the day does not rebuild that queue. Decide what you need before opening.
Community reports also recommend checking the calendar first. A supply event can be a buying opportunity; a shortage can be a reason to display existing stock. You still need cash, space, and the right customers to benefit.
A useful opening check is:
- What goods can I sell today?
- Which stock am I trying to replace?
- What does the calendar suggest?
- How much money must remain available for rent?
Judge the Deal Before Accepting It
Read the customer's request and budget before filling the counter. Some buyers want a variety of goods; others can take repeated units. An expensive item can be useful inventory and still be the wrong sale for a buyer with a small wallet.
A wholesale discount can make a bundle attractive, but only if you can store and resell what comes with it. Check the whole offer for unwanted goods, questionable quality, and contraband. A discount does not remove those problems.
For suspicious products, use the magnifier and the appropriate handbook. Recorded playtest appraisals compare details such as lettering, logos, seals, and colors. Identify an actual discrepancy before challenging a seller. A mistaken accusation can cost reputation.
Bargaining also has consequences. Player experience shows that offering buyers a discount can help close a budget gap, while demanding more can damage the relationship or lose the sale. Treat the negotiation feedback as information, rather than assuming the largest markup is always the strongest result.
Protect Rent Money and Build Gradually
The landlord's weekly visit is a cash deadline. Watch the calendar and leave a reserve instead of spending your entire balance on a promising machine.
Recorded playtest experience shows a general buyer visiting before the landlord and buying a broad range of legal leftovers, including some items that ordinary category buyers ignore. That is useful cleanup, but it is better to sell throughout the week than rely on the last customer to rescue the run.
Expand into one production loop you understand. A furnace needs inputs and energy; wine ties up ingredients and bottles while it ferments. Both can create useful stock, but neither automatically produces cash before rent.
Scavenging is another option with a cost. In the recorded run, an overnight expedition meant losing the following morning's customer, and wounds needed treatment before another trip. Count that missed trade and any tools or healing you use.
Before sleeping, put merchandise away from the counter. Player experience warns that goods left there can be stolen overnight. Check machine batteries and the power bill as part of the same closing routine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should beginners buy every discounted bundle?
No. Buy a bundle when its useful stock, resale opportunities, and storage needs justify the cash it uses. Rent money committed to unwanted inventory is still unavailable when the landlord arrives.
Do neon signs bring buyers or sellers?
The recorded tutorial uses neon category signs to attract sellers. Merchandise in the display attracts buyers for that kind of stock.
Is scavenging free money?
It can provide goods, but the documented playtest also gives it opportunity costs, including a lost morning customer and possible wounds. Judge the whole trip.
What should I do if I cannot sell my valuable inventory?
Check the buyer's requested categories, budget, and whether they want variety. Adjust the next day's display toward stock you can actually supply, and avoid buying more of a category you already struggle to move.