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Message: <blockquote data-quote="KarinsDad" data-source="post: 6423953" data-attributes="member: 2011">This same argument would hold for any high value item in any world, campaign, genre, etc.No Ferrari's in the real world because of "slow turnover", "no immediate payoff", "theft".Sorry, but economics does not work that way. Your "communications" point is viable, but in such a world (like in our own world 600 years ago), the people who own the items tend to be those in the know, not farm hands inheriting from their father. Merchants, the clergy, and nobility would be the ones who actually owned valuable items and those people would also be somewhat experienced in knowing their estimated worth.The idea of a magic item broker makes sense, but I could still see a black market of street gangs, especially for weapons.The idea of an actual magic shop does make sense, but only in the most high end and protected section of a large town or city. The street gangs do not even walk those streets due to the number of city guards in that vicinity. There might be smaller magic item shops that deal more in components, minor potions, and scrolls, but those people would probably pay off local guards/gangs to not bother them, and/or even be backed by local gangs "Fred is really the front man for this shop, but the Black Hand really owns it. Nobody messes with Fred because nobody would be stupid enough to mess with the Black Hand.".Btw, if one uses a 1 GP = $100 scale <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?369550-The-Case-for-a-Magic-Item-Shop/page23&p=6420556&viewfull=1#post6420556" target="_blank">as illustrated here</a>, then one realizes that a shopkeeper could sell one potion of healing a week and be very profitable. The problem is that he cannot sell those potions to just anyone because normal commoners could not afford it ($5000 a pop?). But, there would be nobles and rich merchants and such who could afford them. Yes, having more guards on the caravan is cheaper than buying potions of healing, but any cautious merchant would have both, just in case. And if his caravan got attacked, it's likely that he would use such potions (and then have to resupply) on himself and/or best/most trusted employees (probably not on the hireling guards unless absolutely necessary).Selling a single +1 sword makes a shopkeeper's profit for an entire year or more. So sure, such stores would exist just due to the possible profit, but they might be few and far between. And, they would rarely have exactly what a PC wants, it would take time and effort to acquire such items.</blockquote>

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