What Should the Market for Magic Look Like?

[Treebore]

Well I figure you don't need an 18+ INT ot WIS to figure out that you'll have a buyer for a +4 sword sooner or later. Or Belts of Strength. Or wands of Lightning. Or rods of Ressurection. Or a great many other items.

The key is to know where there are adventurers making or finding vast fortunes with which to buy them, or landed nobles wealthy enough to buy them.

Plus old, long established temples are my most common "magic shop".

I guess very few people bought "Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue" back in the day, and read about how they supply their inventory to their buyers. Granted, 3E newbies never had the chance to do so, but 2E players did. Maybe its available as a pdf?

 

[Hussar]

Well I figure you don't need an 18+ INT ot WIS to figure out that you'll have a buyer for a +4 sword sooner or later. Or Belts of Strength. Or wands of Lightning. Or rods of Ressurection. Or a great many other items.

The key is to know where there are adventurers making or finding vast fortunes with which to buy them, or landed nobles wealthy enough to buy them.

Plus old, long established temples are my most common "magic shop".

I guess very few people bought "Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue" back in the day, and read about how they supply their inventory to their buyers. Granted, 3E newbies never had the chance to do so, but 2E players did. Maybe its available as a pdf?

The problem is, that sooner or later part. A +4 sword, or any other significant magic item, is a huge lump of resources just sitting there doing nothing. People don't usually make enormously expensive items on spec in a medieval setting. Heck, the whole idea of making stuff on spec is a fairly modern concept anyway.

As far as the whole caveat empor idea goes, well, I suppose its true. However, in a nicely magical setting, getting around it isn't all that difficult either. Identify spells aren't that hard to cast, as are spells like Zone of Truth or other divination. Plus, flogging a fake in a fantasy setting is a really bad idea if the buyer happens to be a powerful mage (or has access to one).