How does your campaign value captured magic items?

[mkletch]

OK, here is the issue. How does your campaign handle the sale of captured loot, especially magic items? In the SRD, it states the following:

Quoted from the SRD, Equipment I, Trade
In general, something can be sold for half its listed price.

Commodities are the exception to the half-price rule. A commodity, in this sense, is a valuable good that can be easily exchanged almost as if it were cash itself. Wheat, flour, cloth, and valuable metals are commodities, and merchants often trade in them directly without using currency. Obviously, merchants can sell these goods for slightly more than they pay for them, but the difference is small enough that you don't have to worry about it.

The Player's Handbook is close, but I do not have it at hand. The key here is the term 'commodity'. Magic items are ubiquitous in a standard 3E campaign, and can have great value in terms of trade. They are necessary at mid- to high-levels and have well defined values. Are magic items commodities?

What about character's with item creation feats? They can make no money and lose experience by the "default" system. This could be a route to building wealth, but is hampered by a single line of text that is not certifiably applicable. The phrase "In general" is pretty vague.

Thoughts?

-Fletch!