ROB RUN Cargo Guide: Open or Sell It, Smuggler Prices and Workbench Costs

Applies to: ROB RUN Early Access on PC (Steam), checked on November 13, 2026. Kefir's last patch notes on Steam are still the launch patch, First Changes & Server Schedule (November 4, 2026), and Kefir posted a developer Q&A today, November 13. Every server wipes 7 days after it opens: the Federal Raid resets plots, bases, weapons and all cash, banked money included. Cosmetics, your name, settings and jail time carry over. Cargo prices below come from game data published by the fan site robrun.info, not from Kefir, and Early Access patches can change them any week.

Quick Answer / TLDR

• What is cargo in ROB RUN? Large loot you carry in your hands or haul in a trunk: crates, suitcases, safes, money bags, statues, plus Grow Room and lab products. Kefir also calls stolen cargo "shipments."
• Open or sell? Sell it to the Smuggler when you have no base, are being chased, or the wipe is close. Open it at a Cargo Workbench when you have a plot and time. Kefir's launch patch made "dismantling and selling shipments much more profitable, but reduced their drop rates and increased the duration of dismantling."
• What does the Smuggler pay? From $10,000 (Contraband Cargo) to $500,000 (Unique Collection Crate) per piece at Notoriety level 1, per robrun.info. Most crates pay $25,000 (Uncommon) or $40,000 (Epic).
• Contraband loop: buy Contraband Cargo for $10,000, repack it at a Contraband Workbench, sell it as Premium Cargo ($35,000) or Rarity Cargo ($40,000).
• Biggest risk: the drop-off. Kefir confirmed today that camping drop-off points stays in the game.
• Wipe: cargo on your racks, your workbenches and your cash all reset at the Federal Raid, 7 days after your server opened.

What is cargo in ROB RUN?

Cargo is the big-ticket loot. robrun.info describes it as "large loot that you carry in your hands or haul in a trunk: crates, safes, bags, suitcases, statues, Grow Room and lab products." You can do three things with it: hand it to the Smuggler for cash, open it for the items inside, or repack contraband into something more expensive.

Kefir's own Help Center lists cargo as one of the four ways to earn: "Collect and sell loot, haul and flip cargo, produce goods at your base, or join the police." The Gameplay Overview adds that "some players steal safes to cut them open back at their base, while others sell contraband right in the middle of the city."

A few handling rules matter before you pick anything up (robrun.info mechanics page):

• If you draw a weapon while carrying cargo, it drops from your hands.
• Cargo in a trunk is stored separately from your other items, and trunk size depends on the car and its upgrades.
• Cargo and bags left on the ground disappear after a while.
• A cop can confiscate a Criminal's bags and cargo.

Should you open cargo or sell it?

This is the question r/robrun keeps asking. One of yesterday's threads is titled simply "Q: which more money, cracking a cargo or selling it?" Kefir hasn't published what's inside each crate, so nobody can give you a fixed answer. What you can do is choose by situation.

Sell to the Smuggler when:

• You don't have a plot yet. Opening needs a Cargo Workbench at your base.
• You're being chased, or the drop-off is quiet right now. A fixed price in your pocket beats a crate on a rack.
• The Federal Raid is less than a day away. Whatever sits on your racks is wiped.
• It's contraband or a collection crate. Those are made to be sold, not opened.

Open it at a Cargo Workbench when:

• You already run a base and can wait out the timer.
• It's a crate, suitcase or safe. robrun.info's item pages say these "can be opened at a Cargo Workbench," for example the Electronics Crate and the Portable Safe.
• You want the contents, such as weapon parts or valuables to sell to the Fence with your Notoriety bonus.

Kefir's November 4 patch is the one official signal on value: opening and selling shipments got "much more profitable," while drops got rarer and opening got slower. In practice, a crate you open is worth more than it used to be, but it ties up a workbench slot and it can be raided while it waits.

What does the Smuggler pay for cargo?

These are the Smuggler hand-in prices from robrun.info's game-data catalog, at Notoriety level 1. The site notes its Notoriety math "has not been tested in the game," so treat them as a guide and check the counter.

Grow Room output also counts as cargo. A Growing Bush pays $20,000 to $40,000 and a Mature Bush $30,000 to $60,000, depending on rarity. Our Grow Room guide covers that loop.

How does Notoriety change cargo prices?

The Smuggler pays more as your Notoriety rises within a single visit to the city. robrun.info lists the cargo bonus as +0%, +5%, +10%, +15% and +25% at levels 1 to 5, so a $200,000 Expensive Safe pays $250,000 at level 5.

Kefir's developer Q&A today confirmed something solo players have been asking about: "solo players already get built-in perks, such as Notoriety level 4 right from the start, along with bonuses when selling goods and collecting loot." On robrun.info's table, level 4 is +15% on cargo. Our solo guide covers what else changes when you play alone.

What is the Cargo Sheet?

The Cargo Sheet fills up every time you hand cargo to the Smuggler, and once it's full you sell it to a Fence. Per robrun.info, the Uncommon sheet needs 5 points and sells for $60,000, the Epic one needs 12 points and sells for $80,000, and the Legendary one needs 36 points and sells for $300,000. The Epic version is researched in Larry's Tree under Gadgets for $50,000, bought for $30,000 at a Tier II laptop, and requires a 410-year sentence. If you sell cargo often, carry one.

How do you open cargo at a Cargo Workbench?

You need a plot first. Kefir's Base Management post says building is item-based and "cargo found in a location can be set up to open." Our plot guide covers renting your first plot.

• Research the Cargo Workbench in Larry's Tree (Furnishings), then buy it on your base's Trade Laptop.
• Place it on your plot from your inventory.
• Drive the crate home, put it on the workbench and wait for the timer.
• Take the contents out. Sell valuables to the Fence, or keep what you need.

Costs per robrun.info's item pages:

Your laptop tier follows your plot's district level, so the Cargo Saw needs a Level 2 plot and the Bench Vise a Level 3 plot. At home, cargo sits on racks, and robrun.info says breaking into someone else's rack needs a Master Key. Our base raid guide covers what protects it.

How does the Contraband Workbench loop work?

This is ROB RUN's buy-low, sell-high loop, and the easiest cargo money to plan around.

• Buy Contraband Cargo. robrun.info lists it at $10,000 from the cargo seller. Kefir's Power Pyramid post says settlement residents can "buy contraband at a discount."
• Put it on a Contraband Workbench at your base. robrun.info lists the bench at $20,000 to research and $20,000 to buy, Tier I.
• It comes out repacked as Premium Cargo (Epic) or Rarity Cargo (Legendary). The game's own item text says it is "cheap contents in a luxury case" that "can be sold in Looty Bay for much more than it is actually worth."
• Sell it to the Smuggler for $35,000 or $40,000.

Don't skip step 3. Raw Contraband Cargo pays the Smuggler $10,000, which is exactly what you paid for it. A Label Printer speeds up repacking by 15% ($15,000 research, $30,000 buy) and a Tool Box adds space. Kefir says renting land also unlocks "new Shipments unavailable to motel dwellers."

Where is the risk when you sell cargo?

At the drop-off. Kefir answered that head-on in today's developer Q&A on Steam:

"Because that's part of ROB RUN, too. You have several drop-off points to choose from, and you can always scout the area first. In early playtests, we tried adding safe drop-off points with lower payouts, and it ended up making the game much less exciting and intense." — Kefir, November 13, 2026

So camping at the Smuggler isn't going away. A few things lower the risk:

• Scout before you unload. Kefir's advice, and the cheapest fix.
• Rotate drop-offs. There are several. If one has cars parked around it, try the next.
• Don't fight while carrying. Drawing a weapon drops your cargo. Holster up or put it in the trunk first.
• Bulk is a gamble. robrun.info says "selling in bulk is riskier but more profitable," and the cargo exchanger holds up to 100 pieces.
• Pick the right car. The Buletti "can no longer transport shipments" (Kefir launch patch). robrun.info lists a Cargo Rack upgrade with one extra cargo slot ($150,000 research, $86,500 buy, Tier II) that stays on the car when you die.
• Grab the cash. Kefir's Help Center says to take money off the counter right away, "otherwise, it can be stolen or confiscated."
• Launder it. Dirty Cash can be stolen until you launder it into the Looty Bay Bank, and banked money still resets at the wipe.

Kefir also said today it will "look into ways to make the purpose of these items clearer and protect them from being sold by accident," because newcomers can sell something valuable, like a key or the Jammer, without knowing what it's for. Until that ships, check an item before you sell it.

What happens to cargo at the Federal Raid?

Each server wipes 7 days after it opens. Kefir's Help Center says the Federal Raid resets plots, bases, weapons and cash, banked money included. Cosmetics, your name, tutorial progress, settings and accumulated jail time carry over. Your cargo racks, workbenches and anything still waiting to be opened go with your base.

That changes the math in the last day of a server. A crate that needs hours on a workbench is worth less than a Smuggler payout you can launder and spend before the raid. Our wipe schedule tracks when raids land.

Want the money without the cargo runs?

Short on time this wipe? A timesaver.gg seller can hand over ROB RUN Dirty Cash in game on your own server, from 500K up. You launder and bank it yourself.

• ROB RUN Money: Dirty Cash by the million

See all ROB RUN prices for current rates, or the buy ROB RUN money page for how it works. Kefir's terms prohibit real-money trading and account selling. Read Kefir's rules on buying ROB RUN money before you order anything.

FAQ

Can I buy this loadout instead of farming it? Yes: this loadout costs $78.62 on Timesaver, and a Timesaver pro completes it by hand within 24 hours. How handover works and what happens if something goes wrong: account safety.

Should I open or sell cargo in ROB RUN? Sell it to the Smuggler if you have no base, you're being chased or the wipe is close. Open it at a Cargo Workbench if you have a plot and time to wait. Kefir's launch patch made opening and selling shipments "much more profitable" but slower and rarer.

Where do you sell cargo in ROB RUN? To the Smuggler at one of several drop-off points. Loose valuables go to the Fence van marked with a dollar sign on the Looty Bay map, or the Sales Center.

How much does the Smuggler pay for cargo? robrun.info's game data lists $10,000 for Contraband Cargo, $25,000 to $40,000 for most crates, up to $200,000 for an Expensive Safe and $500,000 for a Unique Collection Crate, before your Notoriety bonus.

How do you get a Cargo Workbench? Research it in Larry's Tree under Furnishings, then buy it on your base's Trade Laptop. robrun.info lists $5,000 to research and $15,000 to buy. You need a rented plot to place it.

Is buying and repacking contraband worth it? Only if you repack it. Raw Contraband Cargo costs $10,000 and the Smuggler pays $10,000 for it. Repacked, it sells as Premium Cargo for $35,000 or Rarity Cargo for $40,000.

Does cargo survive the wipe? No. The Federal Raid, 7 days after your server opened, resets plots, bases, weapons and cash. Cargo on your racks goes with your base.