Quick answer

For belt-delivered dust and stone, patch 1.0.3 says payment happens as material enters the station. If the conveyor does not sell, follow a capsule to the actual receiving intake, then compare the receiving display and balance. A belt ending beside the station wall has not established intake entry. S02S07S17

Connect to the receiving port

The delivery guides describe the exterior intake as an opening with rubber flaps. Inspect the last belt's endpoint against that actual port. A line that points toward the station, or a capsule that reaches the wall, is insufficient. S07S08

Trace the route from its source: Packager output, robot dock, Garage or Capsule Catcher. Inspect direction at every joint and any Merger outlet. If the capsule stops earlier, investigate that connection before changing payment behavior.

Run a small payment comparison

  1. Ask the crew to pause other deliveries for the comparison.
  2. Record the balance and the receiving display before the load arrives.
  3. Deposit one small handheld load into a Packager on a direct route.
  4. Observe its capsule passing the final connection and entering the intake.
  5. Compare both displays after entry and record the build.

This isolates the delivery path. It does not establish a price per kilogram or income per minute, and this site has not run the comparison inside the game.

Which result tells you what?

Result Interpretation to investigate
No capsule appears Deposit or packing stage
Capsule stops at a belt joint Connection, direction or obstruction
Capsule reaches the wall Final intake connection
Material enters and payment is visible The small-load delivery check succeeded
Material enters but payment is not observable Build, receiving display, balance and other active deliveries

If another machine processes the dust first, temporarily compare a simpler route only when you can do so without losing material or disrupting the save. Check its output separately; processed material is not a substitute for observing raw dust entry in this test.

Do I need to press a manual launch button?

The manual handheld loop and belt arrival are different delivery methods. The official 1.0.3 statement supports payment on belt entry for dust and stone. A guide's manual launch step should not override that version-specific rule. S02S10

If the issue persists on the current build, capture the final joint, intake display, before-and-after balance and exact version. Continue with automatic dust selling or the guided checklist. Use Packager not packing only if capsule creation is the stage that fails.

Source references

Sources checked . Source types describe the evidence; they do not imply gameplay testing by this site.

  1. S02 · OfficialPatch 1.0.3 — 24 October 2026 ↗
  2. S07 · Reported guideGAMES.GG — Auto-Sell Dust ↗
  3. S08 · Reported guideShowGamer — Packager Guide ↗
  4. S10 · Reported guideGAMES.GG — Cleaning and Progress ↗
  5. S17 · OfficialSteam official developer announcement feed — checked 8 November 2026 ↗