What is the difference between a Concept and an Upgraded/CCU'd ship, and how does it affect the melt value?

Overview

Concept ships and upgraded/CCU’d ships behave the same in-game, but they can differ in rarity, included extras, buyback behavior, and melt value (exchange value).

Concept vs. CCU’d: What’s the Difference?

In-Game (No Difference)

There is no gameplay difference between a concept ship and a CCU’d version of the same ship.
Example: A Concept Sabre and a CCU’d Sabre are the same ship in the Star Citizen universe.

Out of Game (Key Differences)

Concept Ships

• Often rarer, because they were typically sold only during the original concept sale.

• Often include extra hangar flair / cosmetics.

• If you melt (exchange) a concept ship, you can usually buy it back later from your RSI Buyback List.

Upgraded / CCU’d Ships

• Built by upgrading from a base ship/token.

• If you melt a CCU’d ship, you can only buy back the base ship, not the final upgraded ship configuration.

What “CCU’d” Means on Our Store

When a ship/vehicle is tagged as CCU’d, it typically means it was built using discounted upgrades (often warbond upgrades). Because some upgrades were purchased below retail, the ship’s melt value can be lower than the ship’s current store price.

How Melt Value vs. Upgrade Value Works

Melt Value (Exchange Value)

• Melt value is how much RSI store credit you receive if you exchange the item.

• For CCU’d ships, this is often lower than retail due to discounted upgrades used in the build.

Upgrade Value (CCU Value)

• Upgrade value is NOT affected by melt value.

• The ship’s upgrade value remains equal to the full retail price on the RSI store.

• This means you can upgrade from it normally, as if it were full retail value.

Important Note on Refunds and Melt Value

If you exchange a CCU’d item for RSI credits, you may receive less than the retail value because of the lower melt value. For this reason:

• We cannot approve refunds based on a CCU’d item’s melt value being lower than its retail price.

• CCU’d ships and vehicles sold are intended to be kept or upgraded, not melted for credits.

• If you choose to melt a CCU’d item, you do so at your own risk.

Notes / Tips

• Same ship in-game, different purchase history and account behavior.

• Concept ships may include extras and are generally buyback-friendly.

• CCU’d ships may have a lower melt value, but still carry full upgrade value.