Hi,

I recently started playing a thief character who doesn't really do anything except stealing from the citizens of the Imperial City. My only problem is that I can't sell the stolen goods without either joining the Thieves' Guild (and/)or leaving the IC.

My question is: is there a console command to make a regular shopowner buy stolen items? Or to make Fathis Ules buy my goods without being a member of the TG? I googled, but couldn't find anything.

I hope someone can help me out

I'm not sure if I can help, but I'll share what I do know.

There are a few merchants who are not affiliated with the TG that will buy stolen goods. The closest one to the IC (without the Vile Lair DLC) is Manheim at the Inn of Ill Omen (although he only has 50 gold). The reason such merchants will buy stolen goods is because their responsibility is 30 or less. My thinking is that if you changed any merchant's responsibility to 30 they would buy stolen goods.

You can certainly change an NPC's responsibility via the command console. Open the console. Click on the NPC to select them. Type in: SetAV Responsibility 30. Hit enter.

For RP purposes, in the IC, I would use Thoronir at the Copious Coinpurse in the Market District.

I have not tested this and would be interested to to know if it works for you.

There is http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Shady_Sam.

Shady Sam has a responsibility of 35, so can you confirm he will indeed buy stolen goods? If so, it conflicts with UESP wiki. I could certainly be wrong since my character doesn't really sell stolen goods.

It's been a long time since I played Oblivion, so I may be off. I was just pretty sure that Shady Sam was indeed a non-aligned fence.

Shady Sam unfortunately does not buy stolen goods, but by utilizing the console command stated earlier in the thread he can. And if that does not work, there are plenty of small tweak mods that add Fences to the IC, be it through new NPCs, or editing other NPCs, Shady Sam being the target of a few of these.

Lowering the responsibility of merchants via the console works! Thoronir and Shady Sam will now buy stolen goods. My RP will be much more immersive now, and my little thief will never have to leave the IC. Thanks a lot for your help!

I've always wondered if this wasn't a mistake. It has always seemed to me that Shady Sam had to have been intended to buy stolen goods. I don't understand the logic in creating the character otherwise. A merchant who stands in the shadows and who calls himself "Shady Sam" ...but who won't buy stolen merchandise? It doesn't make sense to me.

All of the games are filled with oversights (Imperial soldiers skilled in Heavy Armor who are equipped with Light Armor, Imperial guards skilled in Short Blade who are equipped with Long Blades, ect, ect) and I personally believe this may be another example.

Oh, that is great to know that the theory works! Thanks for the feedback and I'm glad it helps your game!

I tend to think of Shady Sam as the ACME lockpick salesman, but Pseron has a good point. It would have been nice to have him as a nonaligned fence as well.

It has always seemed to me Shady Sam is a grey area type of NPC. He doesn't want to go all the way and affiliate himself with the Thief's Guild, yet he desires to make a decent living. Selling lockpicks and poisons (etc.) is not against the law, so here merely provides these services full-time, and is therefore in competition with regular shopkeepers, who only carry such items in smaller batches.

It's like the corner store that sells drug paraphernalia, small weapons, and girly magazines. These are all frowned upon by certain members of society, but they are not illegal. What you do with them is your business. And if "Your Business" happens to be illegal, the corner store (i.e. Shady Sam) wants nothing to do with this.

It is also interesting that we cannot persuade Shady Sam, and to get onto his bartering menu, we have to move the D-pad sideways instead of down. Well, this is how it is on consoles, maybe PC it's different.