The Loan Shark is the other way to own your store in Probably Stolen: Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim. On Day 5 a man in a bowler hat and red tie from the Black Market offers to lend you the money to buy it. If you accept, weekly mortgage payments replace your rent. The deal is real, the interest is steep, and missing a payment can end your run.
Quick answer: The Loan Shark first visits on Day 5 and returns on Sundays once you have 5000 Credits. On Mark Up he offers the store for 2000 down at 50% yearly interest, paid weekly.
On Mark Up (Normal Mode), the store is valued at 12,000 Credits. Agreeing costs 2,000 up front and then 930 Credits every rent day for 12 weeks. That payment replaces your rent. Skip a payment and he takes goods worth it from your store; if you have nothing worth taking, he seizes the store and the run ends.
When the Loan Shark visits
Day 1 is a Monday, which makes Day 7 a Sunday and your first rent day. The Loan Shark shows up on Day 5 as the first visitor in the queue. He counts as an important visitor, so you cannot close up until you have dealt with him. Trying to end the day early triggers this message: “You can’t end the day yet, there are important people in the queue.”
His introduction plays automatically. These are the lines in order:
“Hello friend!” / “I heard your business is doing quite well.” / “You know” / “The Upper Levels banks do not offer loans” / “to the honest people of Lower Levels.” / “They believe it’s too risky” / “But not us!” / “We are interested to offer you a mortage to purchase this store” / “Of course the interest are a bit higher than the Banks.” / “I will visit you again on Sundays once you have 5000 Credits.”
Yes, the game spells it “mortage”. The final line sets the trigger. He comes back with a real offer on a Sunday once you are holding 5000 Credits.
The mortgage offer and your three choices
On his return, the Loan Shark explains the terms before he asks for an answer:
“Hello, I’m back” / “Are you ready to take out a loan with us” / “to buy this store?” / “The current value of the property is 12000 Credits” / “We negotiated the down payment on your behalf with the Landlord.” / “The down payment is 2000 Credits” / “The yearly interest rate is 50%” / “Make sure you can make all the payments before we go forward.”
You then get three options. Each one leads somewhere different:
| Choice | His reply | Result |
|---|---|---|
| [Agree and make the down payment (2000 Credits)] | “Good” / “I will be back next week to collect the first payment” / “I am sure you can imagine what happen if you don’t pay.” / “Goodbye” | Down payment taken at once; mortgage starts |
| [Decline, save up to buy on your own] | “I understand, we won’t bother you.” / “Good luck, Goodbye” | No more offers for the run |
| [Ask him to come back in a week] | “Ok I will be back” | Offer deferred |
Once you agree, the store makes the change easy to spot. The wall sign by the shutter switches from “RENT IN N DAYS” to “PAYMENT IN N DAYS”. The Calendar marks each payment day as “Mortgage Payment” and adds a note: “The Loan Shark will come collect 930 Credit in payment in 2 Days”. The night before he arrives, the Nightly Report warns you: “930 Credits in mortgage payment is due tomorrow!”
Declining is permanent. The Loan Shark will not make the offer again that run, so your only way to own the store is to buy it yourself.
Mortgage terms by difficulty
Every difficulty changes the rate, the length of the loan, and how much you put down:
| Difficulty | Yearly interest | Weeks | Down payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Gouge (Cozy) | 25% | 8 | 20% of the deed |
| Mark Up (Normal) | 50% | 12 | 15% of the deed |
| Thin Margins (Hard) | 75% | 16 | 12.5% of the deed |
| Red Ink (Challenge) | 100% | 16 | 20% of the deed |
The upfront amount is set to the nearest 500 credits, with 500 as the minimum. Subtract that payment from the deed price to get the loan principal. With an annual interest rate, each week of the mortgage incurs 1/52 of the yearly interest. Add interest to the loan, divide by the mortgage’s number of weeks, then round the weekly payment up.
Here are the numbers with the base deed price, which applies from days 1 to 50:
| Difficulty (deed) | Down payment | Weekly payment | Total with down payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Gouge (12,000) | 2,500 | 1,233 × 8 | 12,364 |
| Mark Up (12,000) | 2,000 | 930 × 12 | 13,160 |
| Thin Margins (24,000) | 3,000 | 1,615 × 16 | 28,840 |
| Red Ink (36,000) | 7,000 | 2,370 × 16 | 44,920 |
On Mark Up, the loan is 10,000 Credits, with 1,152 in interest added, resulting in weekly payments of 930. Starting on day 51, the deed price increases, so taking out a mortgage afterward costs more.
Weekly payments and what happens if you miss one
The Loan Shark collects on every rent day and opens with “Hello, I am back” / “Do you have the weekly payment?” The [Make payment (930 Credits)] option appears only when you have the cash. [Don’t pay] is always there. If you pay, he answers “Good” / “I will be back next week” / “Goodbye”.
Missing a payment with goods in the store
When you miss a payment but have enough stock, he accepts goods instead of cash: “If you can’t pay, we will take it away” / “…” / “Alright, these will do for now” / “Make sure you get your payment next week.” He leaves a Repo Slip on the counter, where you can check precisely what was taken. One example listed five Stun Batons, an Oxymore Injector, a Tube of Toothpaste, and a Wire Cutter.
Some things are off-limits to him:
- Documents, containers and machines
- Locked items and items behind a lock
- Important items
- Items worth 0 credits
- Anything in the Smuggler’s Bay
Missing a payment with nothing to take
If nothing in the store is worth enough, he takes the store itself: “…” / “Look like you got nothing worth it anymore.” / “In that case I am seizing the store.” / “Pack your stuff and get out.” This triggers the REPOSSESSION ending, which opens with “It’s the end of the road.” The run is over.
Paying off the mortgage and owning the Deed
Make the final weekly payment and the Loan Shark signs off: “That was your last payment.” / “It was a pleasure doing business with you.” / “The store is yours, for good.” The BUYOUT ending plays and closes with “The future is yours.” You receive the Deed. The run summary that follows has a Continue button next to Main Menu, so you can keep playing.
Owning the store unlocks Keys to the Kingdom (“Own the deed to the store.”). Owning it before day 50 also earns Prodigious (“Own the store deed before day 50.”).
You can bypass the Loan Shark by purchasing the deed from the Landlord outright on any rent day, using [Buyout the store (12000 Credits)] in Mark Up. There is no interest, but you must have the full amount available.
The deed prices on every difficulty and the cash route are in our guide to buying the store, and our rent guide explains rent, the Landlord’s grace and eviction. Both ways of winning, and every way of losing, are in all 17 Probably Stolen endings. For the rest of the game, see the complete Probably Stolen guide.
