Why You Can‘t Sell Some Items in Skyrim
As an experienced wanderer in the epic open world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you’ve likely had the situation where you loot a valuable weapon or piece of armor, haul it back to town ready to cash in…only to have merchants balk at buying your prized find! Why is this?
The short answer is that any items marked as "stolen" in your inventory are unable to be sold to most shopkeepers. Only special merchants called "fences" operating outside the law will purchase stolen goods.
But how does an item become tagged as illegal loot in the first place? And what options do you have for selling or removing stolen merchandise? Read on, fellow Dragonborn!
Why Your Items Get The "Stolen" Tag
There are a few circumstances that will cause an item to become marked as stolen property:
You Took It In View of Other NPCs
If other characters witness you looting something without permission, it becomes hot merchandise. Shopkeepers want nothing to do with it.
Pro Tip: Utilize sneaking and invisibility to avoid watchful eyes!
You Entered an Off-Limits Area
Taking items from locations considered trespassing like faction headquarters has consequences…even if you don‘t get spotted!
Pro Tip: "It‘s not trespassing if they don‘t see you come in, right?" So sneak!
Your Follower Grabbed It
Companions snagging items illegally also gives them the forbidden "stolen" tag once traded to you. Darn followers!
How To Tell If An Item Is Stolen
Check your inventory details! A red hand icon appears on any item considered illegally obtained. Trying to sell these hot items to lawful shops will fail or even get you arrested!
So what do you do with this useless stolen swag? Let‘s explore your options…
Selling Stolen Goods In Skyrim
Trying to fence stolen items is risky business! Here are tips on where to safely unload ill-gotten gains:
Locate Specialty Fences
A rare merchant known as a "fence" specializes in handling stolen property discreetly, no questions asked. Fences can appear in random locations, but reliable ones are found by progressing the Thieves Guild storyline in Riften.
Restore The Thieves Guild
By completing special quests to restore this underground network, three permanent fences will set up shop in Riften, making stolen item sales quite convenient going forward!
Their names are:
- Gulum-Ei
- Niranye
- Tonilia
Invest In Speech
Higher ranks in the Speech skill tree allow you to sell stolen goods to any merchant without getting the guards called on you!
Pro Tip: The higher the Speech level, the better the sales price, even for illegal goods!
I recommend these perks to instantly convert items from stolen to legit:
- Fence (Rank 50 Speech)
- Merchant (Rank 70 Speech)
Pay Off Your Bounties
Clearing away bounties related to your stolen loot can remove the forbidden tag, allowing normal merchants to accept the items.
But beware! Any stolen goods in your inventory may be confiscated when paying off such bounties. To avoid this, first stash items someplace safe like your house before going to jail or paying fines!
Fencing Your Goods: Approximate Profits
Here‘s a quick comparison of potential sales prices when selling stolen items to different merchants at varying Speech ranks:
| Merchant Type | Speech Level | Value Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Fence | N/A | can pay 30-80% value |
| General Trader | 50 (Fence perk) | 90-115% value |
| General Trader | 70 (Merchant perk) | 125-150% value |
As you can see, Speech perks rapidly increase potential profits from fenced items by converting them back to legal goods for full price sales!
Avoiding The Stolen Marker
If going through shady back channels doesn‘t suit you, here are tips to grab items without receiving forbidden stolen labels in the first place:
Remain Undetected
As mentioned earlier, unseen = okay! Crouch, pick locks and sneak attack your way to clean looting. Become a master burglar.
Use Invisibility Potions
Quaffing an invisibility draft allows you to briefly operate unseen like a phantom. Chug before you grab and items taken shouldn‘t set off theft alarms allowing for happy lawful selling later.
Store Items Before Paying Bounties
As another reminder, wanted fines confiscate stolen goods. So steal, get fined, then stash items somewhere safe like your house before turning yourself in to clear bounties with a clean inventory.
Parting Words
Hopefully these detailed guides to fencing stolen loot has been helpful addition to your adventuring, fellow Dragonborn! May your quest be ever full of profitable pilfering and shadowy exchanges as you fully master utilizing fences or avoiding stolen marks completely.
The next epic installment I‘ll tackle for us all is: "How To Pickpocket People‘s Equipped Items in Skyrim"!
Stay tuned my friends…and walk always in the shadows.
