Buying/Selling Magic Items [Archive] - Wizards Community

Buying/Selling Magic Items [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Naidim
03-01-07, 03:03 PM Why does it appear so many have issues with buying and selling magic items, or NPCs that create them?

Yes, PCs won't spend their precious time making magic items solely for the purpose of selling them since they only get half price for the item (net loss XP and time to make item), however, they do make them for their own use. Then, when they find or make something better, they sell it to someone who pays them half-price then resells it at full price (magic item second hand store).

For an NPC they are getting a 100% return on invested money at the cost of some experience. Less dangerous than dungeon delving, and very profitable. In addition, they can purchase items at half-price from PCs and resell them at full price, again 100% return on investment, and it adds to their inventory, they don't have to make every item themselves. A very profitable business indeed.
Kursk
03-01-07, 03:38 PM Here's a link to a thread that gives data as to what would logically exist to buy. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=797635
ninja1
03-01-07, 04:05 PM This question is probably better suited to the "What's a Player/DM to do" forums as a vast majority of the variables are game/dm dependant.

I personally don't know anyone that has problems with the buying/selling aspect of the games that I dm or play in.

If I can throw in my 2 cents, I believe the 50% is a guideline that the DM is encouraged to vary based on the availability of that kind of merchandise in any given city. (from Cityscape?)

Also, one can use Diplomacy to haggle up to 10% (phb2?).

Plus, Forgotten Realms has a nifty feat, Mercantile Background, that changes the 50% to 75%... and once a month can buy 1 item at 75% cost.

Also, also, the 50% to NPC merchants represents selling to a middle-man. In my campaigns, I reward good roleplaying and effort at finding individual buyers to sell at or near 100%.
Thomar_of_Uointer
03-01-07, 08:07 PM If you do the math, the raw materials and experience of an item cover 70% of its base price. That's a 30% margin for most crafters, and PCs are going to be incapable of buying a magic item for more than that. It also works out to be a maximum profit of 300 gp a day for most crafters, that's a lot of money. However, depending on the economy, the profit should be split between the crafter and the creator (so the creator pays 70% to make it, the shopkeeper pays 85% for it, and the PCs get to pay 100% for it).

As a general rule, I apply a 15%/5% price step (+15% selling, +5% buying) based on the attitude of the NPC the players are talking to, for both crafters and sellers. This means that they can sell used magic items (as opposed to brand new ones, because if they're accidentally cursed you can go rail on your crafter friend for shoddy work while who knows where adventurers disappear to for months at a time) to good friends for a flat 80%, and buy them for 90%, so either way they're both getting a good deal.
Seeker95
03-01-07, 10:03 PM Why does it appear so many have issues with buying and selling magic items, or NPCs that create them?This is an empty question. What issues do you speak of?
ScipioX
03-01-07, 11:08 PM Probably with the fact that many DM's initially resisted the 3.X treatment of magic items as nothing more than high priced tools. Wonderous items is a complete misnomer, as there's nothing wonderous about buying and selling commodities, which is all that they are now.
Kursk
03-02-07, 03:37 AM Wonderous items is a complete misnomer, as there's nothing wonderous about buying and selling commodities, which is all that they are now.

Which is why I don't have "magic shops" in my game like so many on these boards apparently do.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Naidim 03-01-07, 03:03 PM	Why does it appear so many have issues with buying and selling magic items, or NPCs that create them? Yes, PCs won't spend their precious time making magic items solely for the purpose of selling them since they only get half price for the item (net loss XP and time to make item), however, they do make them for their own use. Then, when they find or make something better, they sell it to someone who pays them half-price then resells it at full price (magic item second hand store). For an NPC they are getting a 100% return on invested money at the cost of some experience. Less dangerous than dungeon delving, and very profitable. In addition, they can purchase items at half-price from PCs and resell them at full price, again 100% return on investment, and it adds to their inventory, they don't have to make every item themselves. A very profitable business indeed.
Kursk 03-01-07, 03:38 PM	Here's a link to a thread that gives data as to what would logically exist to buy. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=797635
ninja1 03-01-07, 04:05 PM	This question is probably better suited to the "What's a Player/DM to do" forums as a vast majority of the variables are game/dm dependant. I personally don't know anyone that has problems with the buying/selling aspect of the games that I dm or play in. If I can throw in my 2 cents, I believe the 50% is a guideline that the DM is encouraged to vary based on the availability of that kind of merchandise in any given city. (from Cityscape?) Also, one can use Diplomacy to haggle up to 10% (phb2?). Plus, Forgotten Realms has a nifty feat, Mercantile Background, that changes the 50% to 75%... and once a month can buy 1 item at 75% cost. Also, also, the 50% to NPC merchants represents selling to a middle-man. In my campaigns, I reward good roleplaying and effort at finding individual buyers to sell at or near 100%.
Thomar_of_Uointer 03-01-07, 08:07 PM	If you do the math, the raw materials and experience of an item cover 70% of its base price. That's a 30% margin for most crafters, and PCs are going to be incapable of buying a magic item for more than that. It also works out to be a maximum profit of 300 gp a day for most crafters, that's a lot of money. However, depending on the economy, the profit should be split between the crafter and the creator (so the creator pays 70% to make it, the shopkeeper pays 85% for it, and the PCs get to pay 100% for it). As a general rule, I apply a 15%/5% price step (+15% selling, +5% buying) based on the attitude of the NPC the players are talking to, for both crafters and sellers. This means that they can sell used magic items (as opposed to brand new ones, because if they're accidentally cursed you can go rail on your crafter friend for shoddy work while who knows where adventurers disappear to for months at a time) to good friends for a flat 80%, and buy them for 90%, so either way they're both getting a good deal.
Seeker95 03-01-07, 10:03 PM	Why does it appear so many have issues with buying and selling magic items, or NPCs that create them?This is an empty question. What issues do you speak of?
ScipioX 03-01-07, 11:08 PM	Probably with the fact that many DM's initially resisted the 3.X treatment of magic items as nothing more than high priced tools. Wonderous items is a complete misnomer, as there's nothing wonderous about buying and selling commodities, which is all that they are now.
Kursk 03-02-07, 03:37 AM	Wonderous items is a complete misnomer, as there's nothing wonderous about buying and selling commodities, which is all that they are now. Which is why I don't have "magic shops" in my game like so many on these boards apparently do.