In Starfield, stolen items can only be sold to specialized vendors known as the Trade Authority. These vendors are located in various places across the Settled Systems, including:

• The Trade Authority building on planets or ships, such as the Crimson Fleet ship called The Key on planet Neon or in New Atlantis

• The Den space station in the Wolf system, orbiting the planet Chthonia. The Den is a key location for selling contraband and stolen goods without being scanned or caught

• Early in the game, you can find Trade Authority vendors in places like the Well area on the first planet Jamison and on Mars, which are accessible during the main story progression

• Crimson Fleet vendors on The Eye in the Kryx system also buy stolen items, but with some risks involved

To sell stolen items, you must visit these Trade Authority vendors, as most other merchants will refuse them. Additionally, you can launder stolen items by selling them to the Trade Authority and then buying them back to remove the stolen tag, making them safe to keep

. For better protection of your stolen goods, investing in a shielded cargo hold or a scan jammer can help avoid detection during scans

. In summary, the main places to sell stolen items in Starfield are:

• Trade Authority locations on planets and ships (Neon, New Atlantis)
• The Den space station in the Wolf system
• Crimson Fleet vendors on The Eye in the Kryx system
• Early Trade Authority vendors in Jamison and Mars

These are the safest and most reliable options to offload stolen merchandise in the game