You can buy lockpicks in Oblivion from several reliable sources:
- Shady Sam : He is a merchant located outside the Imperial City walls near the Chestnut Handy Stables. Shady Sam sells up to 30 lockpicks daily at about 3 to 6 gold each, making him the easiest early-game source for lockpicks
- Thieves Guild Fences : After joining the Thieves Guild, you can buy lockpicks from fences such as Ongar the Word-Weary in Bruma and other fences in Cyrodiil. These vendors have large, regularly restocked supplies of lockpicks, often selling up to 100 lockpicks at a time for around 5 to 6 gold each
- Dark Brotherhood Merchants : They also sell lockpicks, though in smaller quantities compared to the Thieves Guild fences
If you prefer not to buy lockpicks, you can also find them by looting bandits, goblins, and chests in caves and dungeons throughout the game world
. Additionally, completing the Nocturnal Daedric Shrine quest at level 10 rewards you with the Skeleton Key, an unbreakable lockpick that greatly aids in lockpicking without needing to buy or find more lockpicks
. In summary, the best places to buy lockpicks are Shady Sam outside the Imperial City and fences in the Thieves Guild after joining it. Looting enemies and chests is also a good way to stock up without spending gold.
