Make the first trade understandable

Probably Stolen mixes trading with inspection, customer relationships and the work behind the counter. Before chasing a complicated production chain, make sure you can explain why you are buying an item and who might want it. Your display case is part of attracting customers; it is not just spare storage. [1][2]

  1. Read your starting situation. Check your cash, the rent you will owe and the tutorial instructions for your chosen start. A challenge-mode example is not the starting budget for every difficulty.
  2. Inspect before agreeing. Read the item’s condition and description. Compare them with what the visitor is saying; a confident seller is not proof of a genuine item.
  3. Read the buyer’s request. Check the item type, condition or grade they want, then consider the offered price and budget.
  4. Keep the next trade in mind. Spend only what leaves you able to pay near-term costs and keep trading. Learn one understandable line of stock before adding several unfamiliar processes. [3][1]

For suspicious visitors, the Aug identification guide explains the difference between a clue and a scan result.

Before you end the day

  • Check your available cash and upcoming rent.
  • Check that the machines you want to run have usable power and the right contents.
  • For water production, check the container and target grade.
  • For ranching, check feed, hunger and space.
  • After the night, inspect the actual result instead of assuming every prepared machine completed its job.
  1. TradeInspect + negotiate
  2. PrepareCash + supplies
  3. RunFinish the night
  4. ReviewOutputs + status
A daily reading order. Individual machines and animals have their own requirements.

Use the focused guides for water purification, the Fridge and livestock feeding when one part of this loop needs attention.

Two useful controls to learn early

In the 1.0.0.5 patch, B became the default bell key for calling the next customer; holding the binding dismisses the current one. The binding can be changed. [4]

Inventory placement is easier once you know how to rotate items and modules with Q/E. That guide also separates manual rotation from automatic sorting.