Probably Stolen Appraisal Guide: How to Price Cyberware, Food, and Tech

Surviving the station's ruthless economy means taking every credit you can get before rent comes due. Mastering the Probably Stolen appraisal mechanic is one of the most reliable ways to build capital without risking your own inventory stock. Because clients bring their own items directly to your counter, learning every nuance of a Probably Stolen appraisal ensures you walk away with pure commission while avoiding costly valuation blunders.

Whether you are inspecting the circuitry on a severed prosthetic or squinting at sandwich packaging seals, precision is everything. This comprehensive field guide covers license costs, customer encounter math, and the exact calculation formulas for every appraisal category in the game.

Unlocking the Appraisal Board & Getting Started

Your journey as an authenticated station valuer begins early in your shopkeeping career. On Day 5, an Appraisal Board representative visits your counter with an official membership offer. You can purchase your license immediately, tell her to return later, or decline outright. Postponing does not penalize your progression; whenever you choose to pay, the representative delivers all accumulated guides up to that calendar day.

Standard difficulty runs require an upfront fee of 85 credits, while hard mode increases the license cost to 170 credits. Once paid, you receive your starter equipment: an Appraisal Board Junior Certificate, an official service note, a magnifying glass, and your first technical manual: the Cybernetic Hand Appraisal Guide.

Key Inventory Tip: Store technical guides inside your dossier rather than your primary inventory pockets to conserve active counter space. Avoid selling them to Dr. Jackson for quick cash—while they fetch 50 credits, repurchasing them wastes hard-earned capital.

To trigger a Probably Stolen appraisal visit, you must display your Junior Certificate inside your counter showcase. According to player experience and game mechanics testing, displaying this certificate sets your base appraisal visitor probability at a fixed 33%.

The game determines daily customer visits through a top-to-bottom priority check. If higher-priority traders (like clean water suppliers or food merchants) fill your available daily interaction slots, appraisal clients are pushed down the queue. Keeping open customer slots increases your chances of rolling a valuer walk-in.

Appraisal Board Onboarding & Milestone Schedule

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Fee Structure and Commission Math

Unlike standard merchant trades where you gamble on resale margins, appraisals represent risk-free gross revenue. You never pay for the item lying on the glass counter. Instead, your payment comes straight from the patron's pocket as an evaluation fee once you enter your final number.

Every successful estimate earns two distinct payouts:

1. Base Service Fee: A flat 20 credits awarded on every successfully completed evaluation slip.
2. Value Commission: An extra 15% cut calculated directly from the item’s true underlying value.

Because every completed Probably Stolen appraisal incurs no inventory acquisition cost, high-value items generate massive windfalls. A high-grade cybernetic arm or a rare collector's sandwich can yield between 70 and 95 credits in pure profit on a single evaluation slip.

Example Appraisal Fee Payouts by Item Valuation

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Cybernetic Hand Valuation Rules & Set Bonuses

Executing a flawless Probably Stolen appraisal on cyberware requires a strict, step-by-step physical breakdown. Cybernetic hands have a strict price floor: their value can never drop below 50 credits, no matter how severe the internal structural damage appears.

Always evaluate cybernetic components in the structural order laid out in your manual: base material, exterior condition, internal interface wiring, physical modular attachments, and full set synergies.

Inspection Flow:
Base Material -> Physical Wear -> Control Interface -> Modular Add-ons -> Set Synergy

Materials form your pricing baseline. Base aluminum alloy hands apply no price modifier (+0 credits). Carbon composite chassis units add +50 credits, while pristine gold-plated frames immediately grant +200 credits.

Next, inspect physical integrity. Undamaged units apply no penalty. Light cosmetic scuffs and scratches deduct 35 credits. Severe damage—where structural frame gaps reveal exposed internal wiring and loose servos—deducts 85 credits.

Examine the wrist socket for control interfaces. If the port is completely bare with no identifiable markings, mark it as "Unspecified" and deduct 60 credits. Standard EMG ports modify nothing (+0 credits). Upgraded EMG+ ports (marked with a "+" glyph or bolt icon) grant +45 credits. Premium Neural Interfaces (identified by a distinct neuron icon or an "NI" stamp) add +120 credits.

Modular combat add-ons add significant value. External armor plating across the dorsal housing adds +50 credits. An integrated wrist blade adds +80 credits.

Cybernetic Hand Value Modifiers & Set Requirements

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Rib Witch Appraisal: Catching Counterfeits & Modifiers

A high-stakes Probably Stolen appraisal often comes down to the station’s stranger commodities: pre-collapse, vacuum-sealed "Rib Witch" ration sandwiches. These preserved meals start with a base value of 150 credits and feature a hard minimum floor of 40 credits.

Evaluating sandwiches requires checking for counterfeit red flags before calculating flavor modifiers. If the clear plastic packaging has any split, puncture, or open tear, the item is ruined; immediately drop the value to the 40-credit minimum.

Quick Disqualification Checklist:
1. Packaging torn or breached? -> 40 Credits.
2. Facility code above 35? -> Counterfeit (40 Credits).
3. Red logo colors inverted or missing? -> Counterfeit (40 Credits).
4. Green production sticker distorted? -> Counterfeit (40 Credits).

Inspect the printed production facility number. The station historical archive documents exactly 35 authorized packaging plants. If the printed facility code is 36 or higher, the sandwich is an illicit bootleg worth only the 40-credit floor. Legitimate facilities fall into three tiers: elite facilities (+50 credits), substandard facilities (-50 credits), and unlisted standard plants (+0 credits).

Next, check production dates. First production run items lack the elongated green seal on the wrapper and carry an automatic +80 credit vintage bonus if dated within the primary historical run. Extremely rare archival print dates—specifically 1/425 or 12/438—add an extra +50 credit collector bonus.

Finally, verify internal ingredients using your magnifier. Standard sandwiches have plain buns and single patties. Deluxe editions feature sesame seed buns paired with double pickle slices (+300 credits). The rarest configuration contains a double meat patty layer, which adds a massive +800 credit windfall to the appraisal slip.

Rib Witch Facility Codes and Valuation Modifiers

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Plasma Cartridge Identification & Manufacturer Bonuses

When performing a Probably Stolen appraisal on plasma cartridges, fine visual details make or break your profit margin. Starting at a baseline value of 100 credits with a minimum value floor of 30 credits, these volatile power cells require careful inspection through your lens.

Begin by assessing the exterior glass casing:

• Standard Condition (+0 credits): Parallel, straight micro-grooves etched along the glass.
• Light Wear (-15 credits): Fuzzy, distorted, or misaligned casing lines.
• Heavy Wear (-30 credits): Pitted metal caps, missing chunks of sealant, or deep gouges.
• Structural Fractures (-50 credits): Visible hairline spiderweb cracks running through the glass.
• Exposed Screws (-10 credits): Stripped or unsecured casing retention fasteners.
• Reinforcement Cage (+20 credits): An external tubular steel security cage installed over the cylinder.

Next, inspect the plasma fluid grade. Standard blue plasma incurs no price change (+0 credits). Low-grade plasma—identified by dull green, murky gray, or muddy yellow fluid—deducts 50 credits. High-grade carmine/red plasma significantly boosts the unit's value and unlocks top-tier manufacturer bonuses.

Manufacturer labels appear on the lower chassis band. Identifying these seals lets you apply lucrative manufacturer bonuses, provided the cartridge meets strict physical requirements.

Plasma Cartridge Manufacturer Requirements & Payouts

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Best Practices for Station Appraisers

Navigating the cutthroat commercial world of Probably Stolen on Steam requires strict discipline. Appraisals offer steady income, but small oversights can turn high-value days into wasted opportunities.

Keep these practical guidelines in mind while working at the counter:

• Always check the minimum price floor: Damaged cybernetic limbs never drop below 50 credits, punctured food items never drop below 40 credits, and cracked plasma cells never drop below 30 credits. If your manual deductions result in an impossibly low balance, submit the category floor price.
• Inspect food packaging before ingredients: Spotting sesame seeds and double pickles is exciting, but a tiny tear along the bottom wrapper instantly invalidates those bonuses and drops the value to 40 credits.
• Do the math in your head first: Avoid clicking calculator buttons back and forth. Add your positive bonuses together, subtract your condition penalties, verify the minimum threshold, and input the total cleanly.
• Keep your customer display focused: Displaying too many competing product signs can crowd out appraisal visitors. If you want appraisal clients to spawn at their full 33% rate, keep unneeded shop advertisements packed away in your storage locker.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why am I not getting any Probably Stolen appraisal customers in my shop?

Appraisal visitors have a fixed 33% spawn chance that requires your Appraisal Board Junior Certificate to be displayed in your storefront case. If other high-priority merchant requests—such as water buyers or wandering food sellers—occupy all your open visitor slots for the day, appraisal clients are pushed off your daily schedule. Clear out clutter and keep customer slots open to ensure regular visits.

Can I sell my appraisal guides to Dr. Jackson if I memorize the values?

While you can sell technical manuals to Dr. Jackson for 50 credits each, it is generally a bad idea. Guides take up zero counter space when filed away in your personal dossier. If balance changes or new variations appear later in your run, buying the guides back will cost you far more than the temporary cash boost they provide.

What happens if I submit an incorrect appraisal estimate to a client?

Submitting an inaccurate valuation ruins your evaluation rating, loses you the 15% item commission, and forfeits the 20-credit base service fee. Unlike selling counterfeit goods to station patrons, an inaccurate appraisal won't trigger security raids or syndicate street violence, but it wastes an entire visitor slot with zero profit to show for it.

Do plasma cartridge line textures change based on display settings?

No. The line patterns on plasma cartridges are distinct visual assets designed to test your attention to detail. Crisp, parallel lines indicate standard condition; fuzzy, blurred lines indicate light wear (-15 credits); and jagged, broken edges signal heavy wear (-30 credits). Always use your magnifying glass to inspect the cylinder center before submitting your final number.