PC's trading in items

[JoeGKushner]

So a player finds a pearl worth 100 gp.

He takes it to a gem shop.

How much does he get in return for it?

A lot of that for me depends on the charisma of the characters and their ranks in diplomacy, etc... My current group is butt ugly with few bluff/diplomacy/etc... based skills so I said flat 50% unless they want to chance rolling for it with repeated bad rolls having a future effect on purchases.

What about others?

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

I take sell value to mean 'Suggested Retail Price.'

So if you take it to a gem merchant & sell it. He's going to put it in the window with a tag saying 'Pearl 100gp'

Thus I give 50% (never more than 75%) when PC's take it to a re-seller. If they can find someone to sell it to as an end user, then they can get full price for it.

 

[gtJormungand]

Gems are trade goods and should technically sell for their listed price (PH, pg 112, under Selling Loot). However, without appraise ranks, a character really wouldn't know what that price is, and the gem merchants need not be too reliable.

 

[Crothian]

depends on the character and if he has sucker written across his forehead and if he takes it to a place that is honest or not.

 

[Darmanicus]

Our DM's pretty cool when it comes to this. He basically takes its price and allows one of us to roll diplomacy/bluff vs the traders bluff. For every point we win by the effective price goes up by 5% and for every point we lose by the effective price drops by 5%.

You could decide using this system that any given trader will always initially price a good at say 40%-80% and then roll the dice using the above system however more savvy traders may realise what something's worth and put a cap on any given good.

 

[Xath]

In most groups I play in, Gems and Art sell for book value. Trading magic items for other magic items will get you book value, but trading magic items in for cash will get you 40-60% of book value depending on a diplomacy check.

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Gems are trade goods and should technically sell for their listed price (PH, pg 112, under Selling Loot). However, without appraise ranks, a character really wouldn't know what that price is, and the gem merchants need not be too reliable.

Yes, but you are selling them to a GEM MERCHANT. His livlehood is selling GEMS. He can't buy gems at their full value & then turn around and sell them at that same price. The merchant's got to eat.

In most cases I think of PC's as Distributers and the people buying the good as Retail Sellers. Thus the PC's can't get FULL value unless the merchant is sure he can sell it for above market value. Now, if the PC's want to go in to the retail business, then, fine they can get full market price.

Now, if the PC's have UNCUT gems, then they can get full price as they are selling them to the ENd User Market (a gem-cutter who will then turn them from gems into jewelery).

If I running a one or two shot game, I often just let them have full market value. Nto sure why, maybe just less attetnion to detail when I'm running a temp game.

 

[lukelightning]

I see no reason not to give players full price for gems/jewelry, etc. Sure it's more realistic to take market, buyer vs. seller, etc. into account, but I'd rather not bother; it's either too small an amount to be worth it, or it is significant enough that it's virtually stripping treasure from the PCs. If you don't want them to get 5000gp from a gem, don't give 'em a 5000gp gem

 

[the Jester]

Anywhere from 25-125 gp, depending on who they sell it to, Diplomacy checks, Appraise checks, etc.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Well, it's not just gems or jewelry either. Fallen opponents have crossbows, longbows, different armor types, etc...

I'm also trying to encourage people to stop using charisma as a dump stat without realizing that there are consequences.