Good strip! I have a feeling that if Haley didn't love Elan and he was just another party member, she'd have taken advantage of his bartering skills at every possible opportunity up to now.
EDIT: +4 armor with some minor fire resist? Or if the merchant started out with it grossly overpriced, maybe a +3. Really not enough info to tell, even if we assume core-only. He did jack the belt price up by +50% initially before Elan improved the offer.
I read just this morning that Tim Gunn is going to be in a Marvel comic, providing assistance to some superheroes who are trying to stop a fashion crime -- the theft of historical superhero costumes.