30 Best Ways to Make Money in Skyrim Fast (Without Using Glitches)

With so many possibilities, it’s not difficult to see why Skyrim, which was released in 2011, is still being played more than a decade later.

I have played the game for ten years, and it is still not boring. One of the most important facets of the game is money, which in Skyrim, is referred to as Gold. Although officially the coins are called Septims, Gold is the name used in your inventory and many other places.

Gold enables you to do lots of important things in the game, such as:

• Learn new skills, like Destruction Magic, One-Handed, and Sneak.
• Purchase a house.
• Purchase armor.
• Purchase weapons.
• Purchase health potions, magicka potions, and stamina potions, all of which can help you in battles with enemies.
• And much more!

How Do You Get Gold in Skyrim, Though?

Thankfully, you have plenty of options. Below, I’ll cover 30 of my go-to ways to make money in the game.

Before we get onto the list, I just want to mention that although I’ve given some examples of the amount of money you can earn in the game with specific methods, many of these examples are from what I earned in my game, and the amount you earn may differ from what I earned.

For example, for some quests, the amount of Gold you’ll receive varies depending on your character’s level. My character is level 54, but yours may be lower or higher than that.

Also, many factors affect the price you sell your items for, such as your Speechcraft level.

How to Make Money in Skyrim

If you’ve ever wondered how to make money in Skyrim, try the methods below.

1. Mining

Honestly, one of the easiest ways to earn money early in the game is through mining.

All you need to get started is a pickaxe, which you can purchase from any blacksmith.

There’s one in Riverwood, the first town you visit, and also in Whiterun, as well as in almost every other hold.

After that, you need to find ores to mine. You can find mines all over Skyrim, and ores are located within them.

Early in the game, you could try Embershard Mine. This is usually one of the first locations you’ll find if you follow the Main Quest because it’s located near the road between Helgen and Riverwood. This mine has 8 iron ores, and you can also find a pickaxe there.

Later in the game, mines can be found all over the map. Aside from mines, ores can also be found on the ground as you wander around the map, so be on the lookout!

You can smelt the ores you collect and use them to make items at the forge, which you can then sell for Gold. You can also sell the ores themselves or the ingots you make from smelting them to the blacksmith.

What’s great about mining is that no specific skill level is required, making it a good option for beginners to earn money in Skyrim.

2. Kill dragons

Dragons are a big part of Skyrim—you are Dragonborn, after all. After you complete the quest Dragon Rising, Dragons will randomly attack you as you traverse the map.

They can also be found at Dragon Lairs. Once you’ve killed a dragon, check to see what loot it has to offer.

Dragons are particularly good to loot because they often provide Gold, dragon scales that you can sell, and other valuable items.

3. Raid dungeons

Skyrim has various structures that you can explore as part of quests or simply on your own.

Raiding dungeons is fun, it can help you increase your skills, and of course, it’s a way to make money.

In the game, you can raid various dungeons, such as:

• Caves
• Dwarven Ruins
• Mines
• Surface Ruins
• Tombs
• Nordic Tombs
• Nordic Towers
• Forts
• Watchtowers

In dungeons, you can find a variety of different items, like:

• Gold – Look in urns, chests, on tables, bookcases, barrels, etc., and on the bodies of your defeated enemies like Draugr, bandits, and Falmer.
• Armor
• Weapons
• Potions
• Books
• Gems like amethysts, rubies, and emeralds.
• Soul gems that you can sell or use to enchant items.
• Enchanted items that you can sell or disenchant to learn new enchantments.

You can sell any items that you find in dungeons and make a profit. Once you’ve dispatched your enemies, search the dungeon to see what items you can find.

The items you find will vary depending on the type of dungeon you are looting. For example, in Nordic tombs, you’ll find urns that contain gold, and Draugr that you can loot gold from.

In Dwarven tombs, you’ll encounter Dwarven Centurions that you can kill and loot for items like Centurion dynamo cores and Dwarven oil. You’ll also find Falmer that you can kill and loot for gold, weapons, armor, soul gems, lockpicks, and random ingots, along with other enemies that you can defeat and loot.

You can also find various other items in Dwarven ruins, such as large Dwemer struts and solid Dwemer metal that can be smelted to create Dwarven Metal Ingots, soul gems, and various ingredients like Chaurus eggs, Falmer ears, and glowing mushrooms.

Overall, dungeons are great for finding gold and goods that you can sell for gold.

4. Complete missions from Jarls in different holds

In Skyrim, there’s a series of quests called Becoming Thane, where you can become Thane of all the holds in Skyrim.

What’s entailed for each quest varies, but the standard formula for each hold is to complete a specific quest or objective from the Jarl and then help a number of citizens within the hold by doing quests or miscellaneous objectives.

The number of citizens you need to help varies based on whether the hold is a major one, which includes a palace where the Jarl lives, or a minor one, where the Jarl lives in a longhouse.

Once you’re Thane of a hold, you’ll be able to purchase property there, if property is available in that area. You’ll also receive a housecarl if there is property in the hold. You can even gain the ability to demand that guards in the hold where you’re Thane ignore minor crimes.

But it’s not just the benefits of being Thane that you gain; you also earn rewards on the way to becoming Thane.

There are nine holds where you can become Thane, and each has its own set of quests and objectives that you’ll need to complete. These quests and objectives reward you with gold or items that you can sell for money.

So it’s definitely worth completing these missions.

Here’s where you can become Thane:

• Eastmarch (Capital: Windhelm)
• Falkreath Hold (Capital: Falkreath)
• Haafingar (Capital: Solitude)
• Hjaalmarch (Capital: Morthal)
• The Pale (Capital: Dawnstar)
• The Reach (Capital: Markarth)
• The Rift (Capital: Riften)
• Whiterun Hold (Capital: Whiterun)
• Winterhold (Capital: Winterhold)

It’s important to note that not all quests and objectives will reward you with gold or goods. For example, some quests and objectives provide training in a particular skill. Nevertheless, the Becoming Thane missions are great for earning some extra gold and items that you can sell.

5. Join the Thieves Guild

The Thieves Guild is a faction you can join in the game. It is an organization of professional thieves and offers access to 12 main quests. These quests reward you with gold, items like soul gems, and training.

Members Delvin and Vex also offer an unlimited number of radiant quests, known as “Jobs.” The target item and location for each job are randomly generated within Whiterun, Markarth, Windhelm, Solitude, and Riften. You can accept or decline these jobs. The reward for each mission ranges from 50 to 800 gold.

The Thieves Guild provides many opportunities for making money in Skyrim. For example, you gain access to Fences who will purchase both regular and stolen merchandise and carry larger amounts of gold. Additionally, there’s free gold and lockpicks lying around the headquarters.

6. Hunting

A good way to make money is to hunt animals and harvest items such as pelts, meat, and tusks, which you can sell.

Animals you can hunt in Skyrim include deer, bears, goats, and horkers. All you need to get started is a bow and arrow, which you can loot from enemies you kill or purchase at a reasonable price from a general trader or blacksmith.

Additionally, the pelts you obtain from hunting can be crafted into leather using the tanning rack at a blacksmith. You can then use the leather along with any iron ore you gather to create iron daggers that you can sell for gold.

7. Smithing

Smithing is a valuable skill in Skyrim, as it allows you to create better weapons and armor for yourself. Not only that, but smithing can also help you make money.

You can create and sell weapons and armor. The best part is that you can collect everything you need for free! Remember when I mentioned hunting and mining? Use the items you find during the game, like leather, gems, and ores, to craft weapons, armor, and jewelry. Then, you can sell these items.

8. Enchanting Items

Enchanting items in Skyrim grants them benefits such as increased health, improved sneaking, or faster magicka regeneration.

Depending on your level in Enchanting, enchanting items can significantly increase their value. I have found that I can raise the value of weapons and armor by hundreds of gold. So, enchant any items you’ve collected and sell them for a profit.

In addition to items to enchant, you will also need filled soul gems and knowledge of enchantments. You can learn enchantments by disenchanting items that are already enchanted or by getting training from one of the following people:

• Sergius Turrianus, who can be found at the College of Winterhold
• Hamal, found in the Temple of Dibella in Markarth after completing the quest “The Heart of Dibella”
• Neloth, who can be found at Tel Mithryn in the Dragonborn DLC

Keep in mind that lessons do cost money.

9. Ask Innkeepers for Work

Most towns and cities in Skyrim have inns where you can rent a room for the night. Each inn has an innkeeper you can talk to, and some offer quests. Simply approach the innkeeper, usually found behind the bar in the main room of the inn, and select “I’m looking for work. Got any leads?” and/or “Heard any rumors lately?” This will typically provide you with bounty missions.

For example, when I spoke with the innkeeper Dagur at the Frozen Hearth Inn and asked him, “I’m looking for work. Got any leads?”, he gave me a miscellaneous quest to “Kill the bandit leader located at Snowpoint Beacon.”

After completing that quest, I had to “Collect bounty from Malur Seloth.” When I went to collect the bounty, I received 100 gold. While that’s not a lot of money, the quest was relatively easy, and I also found gold in a chest at the location and looted additional money and goods, like jewelry, from the bandits after dispatching them.

I completed another mission from Dagur that involved killing a dragon, and when I collected the bounty, I was paid 500 gold.

10. Join the College of Winterhold

One of the more enjoyable factions in the game is the College of Winterhold. The College missions are engaging, there are many people there who can train you, and you can earn money and acquire a variety of magical wares, such as soul gems, potions, and ingredients.

The College of Winterhold is a guild of mages. Joining the College opens a questline that includes eight main quests and eight side quests, one of which is radiant. By completing these quests, you’ll be rewarded with items and/or gold. It’s another way to obtain items you can sell, use to craft other items to sell, or simply earn some extra gold.

11. Gather Ingredients

Picking wildflowers and other ingredients is easy and requires no skill level. There are various ingredients you can collect in the game, such as blue mountain flower, purple mountain flower, fly amanita, Nirnroot, and Dragon’s Tongue. These can be found on the ground. You can also harvest ingredients from your enemies, like Falmer ear, Giant’s Toe, and Eye of Sabre Cat.

You can then combine ingredients on the alchemy table to create potions that you can sell.

Doing this also improves your alchemy skill. At first, you might have many failed potion attempts as you begin combining ingredients. However, the more you craft on the alchemy table, the more potions you’ll learn to create.

Once you’ve made a potion, it will appear as an option in the alchemy table menu thereafter, provided you have the right ingredients.

Wildflowers and other ingredients can be found along paths as you travel around Skyrim. Whenever I do a mission or wander the map, I’m always looking out for ingredients on the ground. They’re free, and I can use them to make potions that I can either use myself, saving money on purchases from merchants, or sell for a profit.

12. Woodcutting

Woodcutting can be quite monotonous, but it’s an easy way to make a little extra money early in the game.

You can find an axe and wood to chop next to the sawmill in Riverwood, located to the left of the archway as you cross the bridge into town.

I chopped firewood until I had 50 logs and sold them for 100 gold.

13. Searching Barrels

Although it’s not a huge money maker, searching barrels can be worthwhile. Barrels can be found on the streets, near market stalls, within inns, in caves, in Nordic tombs, and in many other places around Skyrim.

Many barrels contain items that you can simply take. Others, such as some in inns or near market stalls, may contain items you must steal. Be cautious with stealing, as getting caught will require you to pay a fine. Try to focus on barrels that allow you to take items without issue.

In barrels, you’ll usually find food items. You can sell these to make money. While they might not bring in a lot of gold, they are an easy way to earn some extra cash, especially early in the game.

14. Get Quests from Random NPCs

One of the things I love to do in Skyrim is explore the map. I enjoy discovering random farms, towns, and settlements as I travel. Visiting different cities is also a favorite pastime.

Traveling the roads of Skyrim not only allows you to encounter enemies to fight and gain experience in various skills, but it also gives you the opportunity to meet random NPCs, some of whom may offer quests.

Please note that most people you encounter while walking down random paths or crossing bridges will typically be hostile, so proceed with caution.

In places like settlements, farms, towns, and cities, the people you find are usually neutral, so you can approach and start a conversation with them. Not every NPC has a quest to offer, but many do. Approach different individuals you come across and see if you can initiate a conversation. Click on different dialogue options until you receive a quest.

Like I said, not all NPCs will have a quest. However, many do, so it’s worth asking around. For example, if you go into the White Phial, an alchemy store in Windhelm, and talk to the shopkeeper, you’ll receive a quest called “The White Phial.”

Shopkeepers are particularly good to talk to because many have quests to offer. It’s also worth talking to people in cities, such as those wandering the streets, and visiting places like farms and settlements to see if there are any NPCs with missions.

These missions can reward you with gold or items that you can sell for gold, making them a good way to earn money in Skyrim.

15. Find Hidden Merchant Chests

This one is sort of a glitch or hack—finding hidden chests. As you may know if you’ve played the game for any significant period, there are chests scattered throughout Skyrim. Often, they contain gold and valuable items like gems, soul gems, weapons, and potions.

There are also hidden merchant chests in a few locations across the map.

Merchant chests contain the shop inventories of merchants in Skyrim.

They contain valuable loot, such as enchanted items, empty and full soul gems, ingots, ores, and much more. You can even find gold in these chests.

As their name suggests, hidden merchant chests are concealed. One of the easiest to find is in Dawnstar. It can be located between two rocks on the left side of the entrance to Iron-Breaker Mine. It’s best to switch to first-person view and then slowly scour the floor (sneaking works well for this) until you see the words “Search Chest” appear on the screen.

There’s also a merchant chest outside Markarth. Travel east from the city gate, pass the stables, a farm, and the Left Hand Mine, and go all the way down to a bridge. There’s a path to the left, and a Markarth guard patrols the area. Look for a stone wall and a Juniper bush to the right of the wall, with the bridge to the right of that. You can find the chest by going to the other side of the wall, moving up against the center, and then looking down.

Here are the other hidden merchant chest locations:

• Under the Skyforge in Whiterun. There are four chests in Whiterun in total.
• Six chests can be found under The Ragged Flagon.
• One chest can be found outside Solitude. If the Khajiit Caravans are present, crouching and looking at the floor near the left corner of the main tent should cause a search option to appear.
• Three chests can be found in Windhelm. A follower is required to reach the chest.
• Seven chests can be found at the College of Winterhold. This includes four in the Hall of Countenance, two in the Hall of Attainment, and one in the Hall of the Elements.

You can collect any gold you find in the chests and sell any items you find there. Many of the items you find in these chests can be used to create other items and improve skills in areas like enchanting, smithing, and alchemy. For example, you could use the iron and leather you find to make iron daggers and sell them.

The loot you find in these chests is leveled, which means it varies depending on your character’s level. Merchant chests reset approximately every two in-game days, as long as you are not in the area.

You can take as much as you want from the chest, and it doesn’t count as stealing. This is one of the best ways to make money in the game. Once you locate a chest, all you need to do is take the items and sell them.

16. Join the Dark Brotherhood

The Dark Brotherhood is an organization of assassins who carry out assassination contracts. This is another faction that players can join. Initiates must demonstrate the ability to kill mercilessly, without regret or sorrow, so the Dark Brotherhood’s ranks include vampires, werewolves, bandits, and mages.

If you join the Dark Brotherhood, you’ll be able to complete a variety of quests that can earn you gold and items you can sell for gold, or provide training in different skills.

There are 14 quests in the Dark Brotherhood, including contract quests where you need to assassinate specific targets. There are also radiant and miscellaneous quests available. Many of these quests reward you with more than 1000 gold, making it a profitable faction to join.

17. Search people you’ve killed

The Dragonborn has many enemies, including Draugr, giants, and bandits. Sometimes you might also be attacked by thieves or assassins. After defeating your enemies, be sure to search them. Many have gold on them, which may not be a lot individually but can add up.

Depending on the enemy, they may also have items like armor, potions, ingredients, weapons, and even gems such as diamonds. Thieves are particularly good to loot from, as they often carry larger amounts of gold and high-value items. Additionally, always search any “big boss” type enemies, as they usually have better loot.

18. Search animals you’ve killed

Just like with people, you can loot any animals and creatures you kill. This includes Frostbite Spiders, bears, Frost Trolls, and Spriggans. Be sure to check any animals or creatures you kill for loot. These items can either be sold as is or used to craft other items to sell for a profit.

19. Sell items you’ve been gifted

While some missions reward you with gold, others may reward you with items or a combination of cash and items. If you receive an item as a reward for completing a mission and don’t have a use for it, consider selling it for a profit.

20. Steal

While not the noblest of pursuits, stealing is one of the easiest ways to earn money and can be quite fun! You can steal money, food, armor, and various items from houses, inns, and even directly from someone’s person. Many businesses have strongboxes that you can steal from. You’ll need a lockpick to open them. If you’re skilled at sneaking, you can also pickpocket people, which is an easy way to earn gold.

Additionally, you can steal items to sell, but these items will be marked as stolen in your inventory. To sell stolen goods, you’ll need to either be a member of the Thieves Guild and sell items to Fences or activate the Fence perk on the Speech Skill Tree.

21. Look out for coin purses

Coin purses can be found in various locations throughout Skyrim and contain gold. The larger the purse, the more gold it will hold, typically ranging from 10 to 50 gold. They are usually a brownish, orangish, or tan color, so look out for them on tables and bookshelves in dungeons and rooms around Skyrim.

To collect them, simply pick them up. Some coin purses will be marked as “steal,” so you’ll need to sneak and ensure you’re not visible to take them.

In addition to finding them randomly across the map, you can also find them inside Jorrvaskr, especially in the living quarters, which is the headquarters of the Companions. One coin purse can also be found at the Windhelm Military Camp.

22. Get money from your spouse’s store

The Hearthfire DLC introduced marriage and children into the game. If you get married, your spouse will start a store. You can ask if the store has made any money, and your spouse will share any profits with you. This is a simple way to earn money, with the potential to receive 100 gold per day. If you don’t ask your spouse about their profits for a few days, their earnings will stack. For example, I once forgot to ask my in-game husband about the store’s profits for a while, and he gave me 1500 gold.

23. Join the Companions

Another faction you can join in Skyrim is the Companions. This faction consists of warriors who undertake private and public contracts for the people of Skyrim. I often join this faction because the missions are enjoyable and don’t involve stealing or assassinating people like in the Thieves Guild or the Dark Brotherhood.

Like all factions, the Companions offer main quests, side quests, and radiant quests. There are six main quests and a variety of radiant quests, many of which are repeatable. You can earn gold and various items that you can sell for gold, as well as receive training in a variety of skills.

24. Improve the Speechcraft skill

The Speechcraft skill tree is incredibly useful if you want to make more money in the game. While earning gold through various means—such as being paid, looting, or finding gold—is effective, selling items is also crucial. The Speechcraft skill tree helps with this by offering perks that improve the prices you get from merchants and increase the amount of gold they have available.

For example, the Haggling perk provides up to 30% better buying and selling prices. Consider investing in this perk to get more for your money when selling goods.

25. Find an Amulet of Dibella

Skyrim features various amulets, each offering different perks. The Amulet of Dibella is particularly useful for those looking to earn more money, as it provides a +15 boost to Speechcraft. This means you’ll get better prices from merchants, allowing you to earn more for the items you sell.

You can find the Amulet of Dibella at several locations across the map, such as:

• Haelga’s Bunkhouse in Riften.
• As loot from Stormcloak and Imperial soldiers.
• As loot from Hold Guards.
• In Riftweald Manor during the Thieves Guild questline.
• In Uthgerd’s House in Whiterun.
• For sale at Radiant Raiment in Solitude.
• Rarely found as random loot, more commonly in places where hostile mages reside.
• In “boss” chests.
• Sometimes found on Draugr.

26. Use the Fortify Barter Enchantment or Potion

Fortify Barter is an alchemical and enchanting effect in Skyrim that improves the prices you get when selling items. By using a Fortify Barter potion or wearing an item enchanted with Fortify Barter, you can receive more Gold for the items you sell. You can create a Fortify Barter potion at the alchemy table. To enchant items with Fortify Barter, you need to find a Necklace of Haggling and disenchant it to learn the enchantment. This is a simple way to increase your earnings from selling items in the game.

27. Join the Bards College

The Bards College is a faction that the Dragonborn can join, located in Solitude. It is comprised of bards, poets, and public speakers.

Unlike other factions, the Bards College does not have a main questline. Instead, it offers various side quests, miscellaneous quests, and radiant quests.

These quests primarily reward you with skill points rather than cash or goods. However, you can still earn money through Bards College quests, as many require you to retrieve items from locations like caves, where you can find Gold and items to sell for Gold.

So, it’s worth undertaking Bards College quests if you’re looking to make some extra money in the game.

28. Receive Inheritance Money

28. Receive Inheritance Money

This one is somewhat morbid, but it can be an easy way to make money. Basically, when people die in Skyrim, some of them leave you money, especially if you helped them while they were alive. For example, I helped Frida, who runs the alchemy shop called The Mortar and Pestle in Dawnstar, retrieve The Ring of Pure Mixtures from the Forksaken Cave.

When she died, I received a note from a courier saying she’d left me 100 Gold pieces. So, the longer you play the game and the more you help people, the more likely you are to receive inheritance from them. You will get a note called a “Letter of Inheritance,” which will inform you who left you the inheritance and how much money you’ve received.

29. Sell Crops

Selling crops in Skyrim is a straightforward way to earn some extra Gold, especially for beginners. While it won’t make you a fortune, it’s easy to do. All you need to do is collect crops and sell them to farmers.

Speak to any farmer, and they will have the option to purchase crops from you. You can sell various crops, such as wheat, cabbage, gourds, and potatoes. These crops can come from picking them from a farmer’s property, finding them as random loot, or stealing them from citizens.

29. Sell Crops

Selling crops in Skyrim is a straightforward way to earn some extra Gold, especially for beginners. While it won’t make you a fortune, it’s easy to do. All you need to do is collect crops and sell them to farmers.

Speak to any farmer, and they will have the option to purchase crops from you. You can sell various crops, such as wheat, cabbage, gourds, and potatoes. These crops can come from picking them from a farmer’s property, finding them as random loot, or stealing them from citizens.

There are farms located across Skyrim in various holds, such as Brandy-Mug Farm in Eastmarch and Snow-Shod Farm in The Rift. So, head to a farm and sell crops to a farmer.

30. Complete the Main Questline

Don’t overlook the main questline as a source of income. While most of the missions don’t pay you directly with Gold, they often lead you to various locations on the map where you can find Gold and valuable items that you can sell for Gold.

Closing Thoughts

In conclusion, finding ways to make money in Skyrim not only enhances your gameplay but also adds a rewarding dimension to your adventure.

Whether you’re looking to become a master trader, a successful quester, or a shrewd merchant, Skyrim offers numerous opportunities to boost your in-game wealth.

By using these strategies, you can maximize your earnings and truly immerse yourself in the world of Tamriel. So, gear up, get out there, and start making those gold coins!