- Probably Stolen Aquascan is your core tool for evaluating water quality before you buy, process, or sell it.
- Scan before pricing: quality differences between batches directly affect realistic resale value.
- Best users: the Water Merchant scenario benefits most, since water trading is the whole business.
- Cost control: always add acquisition, scanning, and purification expenses into your profit math.
- Rent first: never tie up your rent reserve in water stock you have not scanned or priced yet.
What the Aquascan Does for Your Shop
The Aquascan exists to answer one question before you commit money: what is this water actually worth? In a dystopian space station where clean water is a tradable commodity, batches are not equal. Some water can be sold as-is, some needs purification before customers will pay a useful price, and some is barely worth the storage space it occupies.
Skipping the scan is one of the fastest ways to bleed cash in the Water Merchant start. If you pay clean-water prices for contaminated stock, your margin disappears before the sale even happens.
Treat a seller's description as a starting point, not a verified value. Scan the batch yourself, compare the results against realistic customer demand, and only then decide your maximum purchase price.
| Water Batch State | What It Means | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Verified clean | Sells without processing | Price with a healthy markup, prioritize turnover |
| Needs purification | Value locked behind processing | Buy only if purification cost still leaves margin |
| Heavily contaminated | Processing may not pay off | Reduce your offer sharply or walk away |
| Unknown / unscanned | No reliable value estimate | Scan before committing any real capital |
How to Use the Aquascan: Step by Step
Scanning is cheap; acting on bad information is not. Build the following loop into your daily routine whenever water enters your inventory or a seller offers you a new batch.
Check the Batch Before Buying
Review every detail available on the water before agreeing to a price. If the source or quality is unclear, treat the batch as unknown until you can scan it.
Run the Aquascan
Use the scanner on the batch and read the results carefully. Separate water with different quality profiles so that clean and contaminated stock never get mixed or priced identically.
Calculate Total Cost
Add the purchase price plus any purification and processing expenses. This total — not the sticker price alone — determines your real break-even point.
Set a Realistic Selling Price
Base your price on scanned quality and observed customer demand, not on an optimistic maximum. Leave room for negotiation.
Record the Result
Note which sources consistently deliver sellable water and which ones waste your money, then redirect future purchases toward the reliable suppliers.
Not all water sources behave the same over time. Keeping a simple mental (or physical) log of which suppliers deliver consistent quality lets you scan faster, negotiate harder, and skip suspicious deals entirely.
Water Pricing and Profit Planning
Quality scanning only pays off when it feeds into a pricing strategy. The table below breaks down how scanned results should shape your decisions.
| Scanned Quality | Acquisition Guidance | Pricing Strategy | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| High quality | Buy in larger quantities after demand is confirmed | Standard markup, room to negotiate | Low |
| Medium quality | Buy small test batches | Moderate markup, watch turnover | Medium |
| Low / needs processing | Buy only if processing is cheap | Price after full cost calculation | Medium-High |
| Failed scan value | Avoid unless nearly free | Minimal — treat as speculative stock | High |
Turnover First
- Water that sells repeatedly beats premium stock that sits
- Recover cash quickly to reinvest
- Keep affordable options stocked for regular customers
Purify Selectively
- Compare processed value against processing cost
- Do not purify more than you can realistically sell
- Upgrade equipment only when margins justify it
Protect Rent Cash
- Set aside the next rent payment first
- Only then reinvest in water stock and equipment
- Slow sales days are survivable with a reserve
A high asking price is not profit. Money is earned when the transaction completes. Price your scanned water so it actually moves, and treat unsold stock as locked-up capital, not income.
Common Aquascan Mistakes to Avoid
Never assume two batches from the same supplier have identical quality. Contamination, handling, and source changes can shift the value of each batch, and pricing them identically creates silent losses.
| Mistake | Consequence | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping the scan on cheap stock | Overpaying for near-worthless water | Scan every batch before purchase |
| Pricing by seller's claim | Margin disappears after processing | Use your own scan results |
| Purifying everything | Processing costs exceed sale gains | Purify only when margin is proven |
| Mixing quality tiers in storage | Mispriced sales and confused inventory | Separate by scanned quality |
| Spending rent money on stock | Business failure when rent comes due | Reserve rent cash first |
Water Merchant Daily Routine Checklist
Run this routine each in-game day to keep your water business stable and profitable.
Daily Water Business Routine:
- Scan every new water batch before agreeing to a purchase price
- Separate inventory by scanned quality tier
- Confirm the rent reserve is untouched before buying stock
- Calculate full cost (purchase + purification) before setting prices
- Review which stock sold yesterday and adjust today's prices
Expand water purchases and purification capacity only after existing sales consistently generate positive net profit. Growing an unprofitable operation just multiplies losses.
FAQ
Q: What does the Aquascan do in Probably Stolen?
The Aquascan evaluates water quality before you commit money to a purchase, purification run, or sale. Scanning reveals the quality differences between batches so you can set realistic prices instead of relying on a seller's claims.
Q: Which starting scenario uses the Aquascan the most?
The Water Merchant scenario depends on it most, since water trading is the entire business. However, any shop that occasionally deals in water or processed liquids benefits from scanning before pricing.
Q: Should I purify every batch of water I buy?
No. Only purify when the value of the processed water clearly exceeds its full cost, including acquisition and processing expenses. Purifying more inventory than you can sell ties up cash and erodes your rent reserve.
Q: Can I skip scanning for repeat suppliers?
You can scan faster once you trust a supplier, but skipping the scan entirely is risky. Batch quality can vary, and one mispriced purchase can wipe out the gains from several good sales.