Probably Stolen how to use underground exchange: Guide

Learn how to unlock Probably Stolen's Underground Exchange, trade through the trash bin, collect rewards, and avoid costly item-loss bugs.

How the Underground Exchange Works

Your shop’s trash bin can deliver useful equipment—or swallow inventory you meant to keep. If you’re searching for Probably Stolen how to use underground exchange, the answer is to deposit a valid trade’s ingredients in the bin, enable janitorial service, and collect your reward the next morning. This Probably Stolen how to use underground exchange guide covers the unlock requirements, available rewards, and reported trade conflicts that make checking your inputs essential.

Probably Stolen - Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim official screenshot

Official screenshot · Source: Steam store

The Underground Exchange is an overnight barter system run by the janitorial crew. It does not buy miscellaneous junk, and dropping something valuable into the bin does not automatically earn a reward. Every transaction must match an offer in your Underground Exchange Directive.

Version note: The progression details below come from coverage of version 100-REV3 and community reports available as of November 1, 2026. Your current in-game Directive should take priority if an update changes a recipe or requirement.

Complete your first exchange

Step	What to do	Why it matters
1	Open the Underground Exchange Directive	Confirms the currently available recipes
2	Choose one offer and gather its exact inputs	Similar-looking items may not qualify
3	Place the required items in your shop’s trash bin	The bin is the exchange’s deposit point
4	Remove unrelated valuables and leave room	Unmatched items may be discarded during cleaning
5	Enable janitorial service on the End of Day screen	The crew processes trades overnight
6	Advance to the following morning	Rewards do not arrive immediately
7	Check the trash bin and retrieve the output	Rewards appear there, not automatically in your inventory

For your first attempt, use an inexpensive recipe with no overlapping ingredients. Three worn Water Filters are a more sensible test than a storage upgrade requiring eight injectors.

Each individual offer can be redeemed once per night. Different offers can run on the same night, but shared ingredients create risks discussed below.

How to Unlock the Underground Exchange

Before following the trading steps in this Probably Stolen how to use underground exchange guide, make sure your character actually has access. Owning the right ingredients is not enough.

In the standard progression described for version 100-REV3, Sawyer visits on Day 25 and introduces the janitorial crew’s trading operation. Afterward, look for the Underground Exchange Directive on the ledge near your counter.

Some starting choices provide earlier access:

Unlock route	Availability	Additional detail
Sawyer’s introduction	Day 25 in the documented standard progression	Introduces the exchange and its Directive
Sawyer’s Crew perk	From the beginning	Also provides free janitorial service unless the store is vandalized
Fence specialization	Immediate access among its listed benefits	Lets you use the exchange without waiting for the standard introduction

If you cannot find the Directive, check your current day and starting benefits before putting anything in the trash. Do not test whether the system is unlocked by sacrificing inventory.

Black Market reputation can block access

Successful exchanges improve Black Market reputation, making the system useful for faction standing as well as supplies.

However, the documented Blacklisted penalty at -40 Black Market reputation prevents Underground Exchange access and doubles janitorial costs. If otherwise valid trades stop working, check your standing alongside the nightly service settings.

Do not assume every exchange grants the same reputation increase; the supplied references do not establish a universal amount.

Permanent Trades and Which Ones Are Worth Using

The practical goal of this Probably Stolen how to use underground exchange guide is to help you turn surplus inventory into something useful—not encourage you to trade everything available.

Permanent offers remain available rather than rotating with weekly promotions. The references describe seven permanent exchanges, although the detailed written table omits the Dream Dust recipe. The playtest video identifies a two-vial Dream Dust exchange, so verify its current requirements directly in your Directive.

Required inputs	Expected reward	Best use or caution
3 Water Filters	1 new Water Filter	Recycle worn filters; any condition can qualify
2 modules	1 random module	Trade surplus modules, not essential machine upgrades
2 Dream Dust vials, as described in the playtest video	Contraband reward	Check the Directive for current purity requirements and output details
1 Disposable Keycard (Command)	2 random keycards	Possible outputs include Security, Engineering, and Medical
2 Poison items	1 Energy Cell	Charge depends on input value, up to 100
2 ammunition items	At least 2 food items	Restricted or contraband ammunition can produce extra food
1 Smuggler’s Bay + 8 Oxymore Injectors	1 Smuggler’s Bay (Modified)	Valuable upgrade, but subject to reported recipe conflicts

Start with filter recycling

Three used Water Filters can become one fresh filter with a documented base value of 25 credits. This is a straightforward way to recover utility from depleted supplies.

It is less appealing when the submitted filters still have plenty of use remaining. Compare their remaining usefulness with the benefit of one new filter before depositing them.

Treat module trading as a gamble

The two-module exchange produces a random module of a different type from the submitted inputs.

Documented possibilities include:

Performance, Efficiency, and Quality Modules: common outputs with base values of 70 credits.
Overclock, Eco, and Refinement Modules: less common outputs with base values of 100 credits.
Neural Core Module (Capped): an extremely rare contraband result with a base value of 250 credits.

Those values are not guaranteed profits. Giving up two useful modules for one unwanted result can leave your shop worse off, even when the trade processes correctly.

Evaluate utility, not just listed value

An Energy Cell may be worth obtaining when your equipment needs power, but its charge is not automatically maximum. Likewise, random keycards are useful only if you can use the types returned.

The modified Smuggler’s Bay offers additional concealed storage, with a documented base value of 400 credits, compared with 250 credits for the standard bay. Its real benefit is storage capacity—not a guaranteed cash return after accounting for eight injectors.

Weekly Promotions and Better Trading Decisions

Another important part of Probably Stolen how to use underground exchange is checking promotions before committing ingredients.

The Directive offers three weekly promotional trades drawn from a larger pool. These reset on Monday, and the Monday Nightly Report announces the refresh. Reopen the Directive afterward instead of relying on last week’s recipe.

Promotional inputs	Reward	Planning tip
4 Dream Dust vials	Medical goods	Average purity affects reward quality
3 Disposable Keycards (Security)	Security Department Supply Crate	Save cards only while this offer is active
4 Disposable Keycards (Medical)	Medical Bay Supply Crate	Confirm the card type carefully
4 Disposable Keycards (Engineering)	Engineering Foundry Supply Crate	Do not substitute Command cards
5 seeds of any type	Fully charged Energy Cell	Compare with your planting needs
1 Scavenger’s Token	Increased Black Market reputation	Consider its other uses before spending it
2 Oxymore Injectors	Genuine Immunivax Injector	Shares inputs with the Smuggler’s Bay upgrade

Dream Dust purity changes the calculation

The four-vial promotional exchange uses the average purity of the submitted Dream Dust. Low-purity inputs may yield basic bandages, while purity of 99% or higher can produce more valuable medical supplies, including Synaprest Injectors and Bags of “Blue Blood.”

Do not confuse that promotional recipe with the separate two-vial contraband exchange mentioned in the playtest guide. They have different requirements and rewards.

Before accepting any promotion, ask:

Do I need the reward now?
Are these ingredients needed for production or another trade?
Is the offer still active?
Does another available recipe consume the same items?

A useful reward can justify a trade without making it profitable. Keep enough credits and inventory available for rent and normal shop operations.

Underground Exchange Not Working? Check These Risks

No Probably Stolen how to use underground exchange walkthrough should overlook the possibility of losing correctly selected ingredients to a reported bug.

In Steam community reports about Underground Exchange item losses, players described depositing a standard Smuggler’s Bay and eight purple injectors but not receiving the modified bay. One player reported that the game instead processed the two-injector Immunivax exchange.

These are community reports and player experience, not a confirmed explanation of the game’s internal recipe priority. They nevertheless identify a costly risk when active offers share inputs.

Symptom	What to check	Recommended response
No reward immediately after depositing	Trades happen overnight	Finish the day with janitorial service enabled
No reward the next morning	Reward location and service status	Check the bin, then review the nightly settings
Ingredients vanished without the intended reward	Exact recipe and competing offers	Stop repeating the deposit until you identify the mismatch
Last week’s promotion fails	Current Directive	Recheck offers after the Monday refresh
Multiple copies do not produce multiple rewards	Once-per-night limit	Submit only one set per individual offer
Valid trades remain unavailable	Black Market standing	Check for the Blacklisted penalty
Bin is crowded	Space for returned items	Remove unrelated contents before ending the day

Reduce the risk before expensive trades

For the Smuggler’s Bay upgrade, check whether the two-Oxymore-Injector promotion is active. If it is, postponing the upgrade until that competing offer rotates out is a reasonable precaution, but not a verified fix.

Processing only one intended exchange per night also reduces confusion, although it does not guarantee protection from a competing recipe that recognizes the same inputs.

Before committing expensive goods:

Record the active offers and your deposited items.
Keep a recoverable previous-day save if your available save options allow it.
Leave space for the reward.
Inspect the result immediately the next morning.
Avoid repeating a failed high-value trade without changing or understanding the conditions.

Unmatched goods may still leave with the ordinary garbage. The trash bin should never double as temporary storage for items you intend to keep.

FAQ

What is the simplest answer to “Probably Stolen how to use underground exchange”?

Unlock access, read the Underground Exchange Directive, place one valid recipe’s ingredients in the shop trash bin, and enable janitorial service before ending the day. Retrieve the reward from the same bin the following morning.

Do you need to pay for janitorial service every time?

Janitorial service must be active for the overnight exchange. Whether it costs credits depends on your benefits and circumstances. The Sawyer’s Crew perk provides free service unless the store is vandalized.

Can you complete multiple exchanges in one night?

Yes, different offers can be completed during the same night, but each individual offer is limited to once per night. Start with separate, non-overlapping recipes. Community reports suggest shared injector inputs can cause the wrong trade to process.

Why did the Smuggler’s Bay upgrade give me Immunivax instead?

Community reports describe this outcome when the eight-injector storage upgrade overlaps with the two-injector Immunivax promotion. The references do not establish a confirmed fix. Preserve a recoverable save when possible, check active promotions, and consider delaying the upgrade rather than risking another full set of ingredients.