How easy is it to SELL magic items in your game?

[madelf]

Magic is generally outlawed. The only legal way to dispose of found items is to turn them over to the appropriate government agency. So if you're trying to sell a magic item, you'll have to deal with the black market, and all the risks that entails.*

Generally, unless you're "in the know" and have the right contacts, you'll get taken to the cleaners trying to unload your enchanted contraband. On the other hand, if you want to get in bed with organized crime, bootlegging magic items can be a very lucrative (if high risk) occupation.






*And you don't want to get caught casting spells or walking around with items that can be readily identified as magical either, unless you're licensed for it - which is pretty unlikely unless you're an agent of the Crown.

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

I use the population GP limit and the further restrictions I use are talked about in Magic of Faerun. Black market and the rare wandering merchant are the only way to get ahold of magic items outside making them yourself, finding or looting them.

 

[Mighty Halfling]

Sell a magic item? Go find a dragon. Make sure it's of the metallic variety. Metallic dragons, particular golds and silvers in my world, build their hordes by trading in magic items. However, be warned that the bargaining terms can be rather draconic.

What a cool idea.

 

[GreatLemur]

trying to pawn a magic sword off on a blacksmith is gonna get you the haggled value of a good sword. not a magic value/price. unless you can demonstrate the properties of the sword.

See, now that is a damned good point. No merchant--even one experienced in trading in this sort of thing--could be expected to buy second-hand magic items from strangers without some solid proof of what they're buying. Naturally, that'll mean casting identify, or getting some diviner-for-hire to do it for them. Doesn't matter if the party Wizard already did that while they were still in the dungeon; the merchant needs to hear it from someone they can trust.

So then you've got to deal with the crazy long casting time of identify (1 hour in v.3.5, which is admittedly better than it was in 3.0...), the material component costs (100gp), and probably some labor charge, too (damn thing takes an hour of an educated man's time). If you've got a bunch of stuff you want to sell, it could take all day to get your haul checked over, or more if the caster can't do that many castings of identify in one day. Oh, and you'd better hope you can trust the guy, too.

Hell, at this rate, you might as well give your extra crap away to charity.

Does anyone know of anything in the rules as written that could make identifying magic items less painful? I've honestly never understood why an arcanist can't just squint hard and make a Spellcraft check. Identifying loot never really seemed like a fun or interesting part of the game, to me...

 

[Jubilee]

I consider the cost of identifying an item to be rolled into the fact that you only get 50% of its value when you sell it. Obviously, if the player were actually trying to sell something as more than it is, then they'd be out 100 gold and probably in legal trouble.

I agree with the poster who does selling/buying off screen because shopping is boring. I once played a game where a player spent about 30 minutes haggling with the GM Merchant over the price of horses or something equally minor. yaaawn.

/ali

 

[Ourph]

I depends on the campaign, but in general if I don't allow purchases, I don't allow sales either. If there's someone willing to buy your item that means there's a marketplace for them. It wouldn't make sense for the PCs to be able to sell and not buy as well.

 

[Thanee]

In most cases, when the party is in a suitable location, they can simply sell all their loot for 50% market price.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Darklone]

Usually only nobles have enough money for most magic items. Yet, there are many of them trying to buy as many items as possible for protection in some bigger cities.

Yet, my PCs usually hoard the things. Sometimes they exchange it to get a better item, but that means finding someone willing to trade.

 

[Falstaff]

Do you use the gp limit by population guidelines?

Yes I do.

Do you impose any other restriction, such as some time delay before finding a customer?

I don't usually make it an easy affair. First off, most successful merchants won't purchase an item of magic just because some person they don't really know walks in and claims the item is magical. The poster above has it right. The merchant would first charge for getting the item identified and such...

Then, the merchant will most likely not pay for the item. How can he be sure he can re-sale the item and get his investment back? He can't. So, he would tell the PC that he would place the item on sale and if it sells he'll give him 50% of the profit.

 

[jeffh]

Depends on the item. Stuff there would clearly be a market for (common weapons especially with cool abilities, scrolls of spells with nonadventuring uses) can be sold easily. Often the local government will want anything with a military application, and in rare cases might forcefully insist on the point, but they'll still give something close to fair value for it. In other cases a little effort might be needed to find a buyer, but in general it isn't too hard.

In-world, most of the trading is done through brokers, who are assumed to have a pretty extensive knowledge of who wants what and where they are. (I like the idea of dragons playing this role, but surely they wouldn't be the only ones.) They handle most of the busywork, so from a player's point of view, it's not unlike catalog shopping today.