What should I put in the display case?
The goods you want to sell: each type you display brings one buyer for that type the next day, and higher total value brings a richer buyer. Add a Neon Sign if you also want sellers.
Probably Stolen Display Case Guide
The display case is how you choose who walks into your shop. Put merchandise in it and you attract buyers for that type of item; put special items like Neon Signs in it and you attract sellers. Stock it before you open the shutter, because anything you add after the day begins only counts the next day.
How the Probably Stolen display case works
For what the game is and every guide we publish, start at the Probably Stolen guide hub.
- Buyers: one buyer per day for each type of item you display; the more those items are worth, the richer the buyer.
- Sellers: Neon Signs, the Black Lamp and similar items call in people who sell to you.
- Never display contraband: the game's Mentor warns that you will be arrested.
Probably Stolen display case rules at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Where it is | On the left of the shutter door. Source: In-game text. |
| Merchandise | Attracts one buyer per day for each type of item displayed; total value sets how wealthy the buyer is. Source: In-game text. |
| Special items | Neon Signs and similar items attract sellers and other visitors. Source: In-game text. |
| Timing | Stock it before you open; items added later count from the next day. Source: In-game text. |
| Contraband | Don't display it; Security can search the whole shop and arrest you. Source: In-game text. |
| Store attractiveness | Ten tiers, from 100 to 900, that add customers and raise their budgets. Source: In-game text. |
| Bigger case | Showcase Expansion I and II from Joe Wild's network. Source: In-game text. |
| Business permit | Required from the week after the Station Trade Board's notice; 500 to 3,000 Credits depending on difficulty. Source: In-game text; the game code. |
What to put in the display case
The Mentor's note on the display case sets out the rule: depending on the type of items you place inside, you attract one client per day looking to buy that type of item. Its own example: put in many Food items and one low-value Medical item, and a food-buying client visits the next day. The total value of the items stored decides the social class of the client you attract, and the Clientele Interface adds that buyers' budgets depend on the value of the displayed merchandise.
So stock the case with the goods you most want to sell, and put your most valuable pieces of that type in it when you want a buyer who can pay for them.
When the Mentor explains the case he hands you Neon Signs to try, and his reminder is short: the neon sign attracts sellers, the merchandise attracts buyers, and you should always have both on display.
Check before you open. The Clientele Interface lists the buyers your displayed merchandise should bring and how many normal customers to expect. Each special customer it lists can appear once a day; random customers fill the remaining slots. When a buyer arrives, the trade screen shows what attracted them, for example the item type "in the Display Case".
Timing. The game's tip is explicit: "Items added to the display case after the day begins have no effect until the next day. Stock the case before you open the store." If you rearranged the case after opening and nobody came, that is why. A Playtest patch note from August 2026 also said the case doesn't work on the first day when the tutorial is on.
What not to display. The same note ends: "Do not keep Contraband inside the Display Case or you will be arrested." When an inspector sees a suspicious item in your case, he announces a full inspection, and officers call out contraband and stolen goods on display. How inspections and fines work is in our Probably Stolen security guide. For where the display case fits in a normal day, see your first days.
Store attractiveness: tiers and how to raise it
Separate from the buyers your merchandise calls in, your store attractiveness decides how many random customers come and how much they can spend. The game lists what each tier does:
| Attractiveness | Effect |
|---|---|
| 100 | Merchandise inside the Display Case will not attract any additional customers |
| 200 | One random normal customer will visit the Store each day |
| 250 | +2 customers will visit the Store each day |
| 300 | All customers will have 10% more Credits to spend |
| 400 | Poor customers have lower chance of visiting the Store |
| 450 | All customers will have 25% more Credits to spend |
| 500 | +3 customers will visit the Store each day |
| 650 | Poor customers have an even lower chance of visiting the Store |
| 750 | All customers will have 75% more Credits to spend |
| 900 | All customers will have 100% more Credits to spend |
What raises it, in the game's words:
- Keep the storefront clean. Store attractiveness depends on how recently the Janitor cleaned the storefront. If you pay the Janitorial service, the trash can is emptied and the storefront cleaned; leave it dirty for several days and attractiveness drops, and cleaning costs more if the store has been vandalized.
- Machines and upgrades. The Mirage Projector needs a night to charge and makes the storefront more attractive the next day. Some machines, such as vending machines and fountains, can be upgraded with Electronic Parts to raise attractiveness.
- Renovations. Joe Wild's three Store Renovation favors each improve the store's base attractiveness. Prices and the full list are on our Joe Wild network table.
Neon Signs, the Black Lamp and other special items
Some items do nothing for buyers but change who else visits. Each works while it sits in the display case.
-
Food Neon Sign -
Black Lamp -
Scavenger's Token -
Appraisal Board Junior Certificate -
Class I Weapon Permit
| Item | What it does in the display case |
|---|---|
| Neon Signs (Water, Food, Medical, Household Item, Luxury Item, Material, Firearm, Heavy Firearm) | Attracts customers willing to sell that type of goods |
| Expedition Sign | Attracts new hirelings and hirelings ready for an expedition |
| Black Lamp | Signals thieves that the shop fences stolen goods; your Black Market reputation affects how likely they are to respond. Double-click it to change who it calls |
| Scavenger's Token | Each token increases the chance of a Scavenger visit |
| Appraisal Board Junior Certificate | Attracts customers who need an appraisal |
| Class I, II and III Weapon Permit | Increases the chance of gun-buying customers; revoked if your Security reputation falls below 0, 30 or 60 |
The appraisal service the certificate brings in is covered in our appraisal guide, and the permits and gun buyers in our Probably Stolen guns guide. One reputation perk also works through the case: Discerning Taste gives a daily chance of an extra luxury buyer while a Luxury Item is on display; see the perks table.
The business permit: what it costs and what happens if you refuse
Someone from the Station Trade Board visits to tell you that, starting next week, all shops must have a business permit to operate legally. The inspector then comes back each week, and you have three choices:
- Buy the permit. The price depends on the difficulty you picked:
| Difficulty | Business permit |
|---|---|
| Price Gouge (Cozy Mode) | 500 Credits |
| Mark Up (Normal Mode) | 1,500 Credits |
| Thin Margins (Hard Mode) | 2,000 Credits |
| Red Ink (Challenge Mode) | 3,000 Credits |
- Tip goods instead. Hand over enough goods by value and the inspector overlooks it for that week, then comes back the next.
- Refuse. You get reported to Security, who open an investigation and fine you, and the inspector warns that if you keep this up too long you might be shut down.
Never getting a permit is one of the ways a run can end: the No Permit ending says you "weren't able to secure a vendor permit and were forced to close your store". The other ways to lose are in our endings guide.
Version notes and limits
This page doesn't give how many items or how much value it takes to bring a buyer, how attractiveness is calculated, or how big each Showcase Expansion makes the case: the game doesn't show those numbers. We also haven't confirmed where to get a Black Lamp, or whether the first-day tutorial rule from the Playtest still applies in 1.0. We will update this page if a patch changes the display case.
Probably Stolen display case FAQ
Why didn't anyone come for my display?
Most likely you stocked it after opening. Items added after the day begins only count the next day, so set the case up before you open the shutter.
How do I raise store attractiveness?
Keep the storefront clean with the Janitor, run attractiveness machines such as the Mirage Projector, and buy Joe Wild's Store Renovations.
What does the Black Lamp do?
In the display case it tells thieves your shop fences stolen goods. How likely they are to come depends on your Black Market reputation.
How do I get a bigger display case?
Buy Showcase Expansion I, then II, from Joe Wild's network. Each lets you display more and brings more buyers per day.
Do I have to buy the business permit?
Not right away: you can tip goods to delay it a week at a time. Refusing gets you reported and fined, and never getting one can end your run.
Sources and version history for this guide: Probably Stolen sources and versions.
Spot an error or a post-patch change? See how we label evidence and handle corrections in the Editorial Policy.