Discord
Changelog
Thay is full of merchants and many of these are owned and operated by PCs. This thread is meant for those who feel they need help deciding whether or not to sell certain items to Player-Character-managed merchants? ("PC merchants" for short)
First we’ll go over the NPC merchant. They are plenty throughout Thay and the easiest way to discern if the merchant is an NPC is that they will have an audible voice set. PC merchants do NOT have audible voice sets. NPC merchants will buy items from your characters, but some won't buy certain items or will only buy certain items. Their inventory has a base state, and if the server resets, or if no player-characters wander into their area for a certain amount of time, then their inventory returns to this base state, chucking any items which were sold to them into oblivion. They also have a finite amount of Gold for payouts; if your characters sell them too much stuff and deplete all their cash so they can't buy anything more from you, you will need to leave the area for a time so the merchant can reset or find another merchant to sell to.
Now for the PC merchant; as stated above, they will have NO audible voice set. The merchant is there because PC has bought a merchant’s license and placed the merchant there. Players can adjust various settings on their merchants and thus tinker with their merchants' profitability as they see fit: The amount of Gold they carry, the percentage of the market value they'll sell items for, whether or not they buy items from PCs, et cetera. The downside is that PC merchants have a finite amount of Gold, a set limit to how many items they can have in their inventory. Once they reach this number of items, the powers that be will come through and buy (seize) merchandise randomly for the dirt bottom prices those powers like to pay. It is for this reason you will probably notice most PC merchants do NOT purchase items from PCs.
However, if you do come across a PC merchant who will purchase items, take a moment to look through their stock. See what sort of items they consider worthy of their shop’s inventory. Remember, that PC merchant down the road will buy those average weapons and armor from you without cutting into a player’s profits. Granted, this is business and it’s a risky one. A merchant can go bust or make a killing depending on how they manage their business.
Now, if you have an item the you think you should get more gold for than the NPC merchant will give you, and you know a PC merchant you think would like the item for their inventory, get in touch with the PC. Send a raven or something to make arrangements for your PC to meet the shop owner. Often they will pay you more than the NPC which makes a profit for both PCs. The one selling gets more than the NPC price and the buyer gets to turn around and sell it at a profit. This option does take patience so it's not for the player who wants to reap the instant rewards of their plundering.
Having said all that, although it would be considerate to do as mentioned above and sell lesser items to the NPC merchant, it is ultimately their job to manage their business so they make the profits they wish. We have no set rules regarding the selling of merchandise to merchants, be they NPC or PC.
The Staff
*Edited and simplified from original post by Wids
First we’ll go over the NPC merchant. They are plenty throughout Thay and the easiest way to discern if the merchant is an NPC is that they will have an audible voice set. PC merchants do NOT have audible voice sets. NPC merchants will buy items from your characters, but some won't buy certain items or will only buy certain items. Their inventory has a base state, and if the server resets, or if no player-characters wander into their area for a certain amount of time, then their inventory returns to this base state, chucking any items which were sold to them into oblivion. They also have a finite amount of Gold for payouts; if your characters sell them too much stuff and deplete all their cash so they can't buy anything more from you, you will need to leave the area for a time so the merchant can reset or find another merchant to sell to.
Now for the PC merchant; as stated above, they will have NO audible voice set. The merchant is there because PC has bought a merchant’s license and placed the merchant there. Players can adjust various settings on their merchants and thus tinker with their merchants' profitability as they see fit: The amount of Gold they carry, the percentage of the market value they'll sell items for, whether or not they buy items from PCs, et cetera. The downside is that PC merchants have a finite amount of Gold, a set limit to how many items they can have in their inventory. Once they reach this number of items, the powers that be will come through and buy (seize) merchandise randomly for the dirt bottom prices those powers like to pay. It is for this reason you will probably notice most PC merchants do NOT purchase items from PCs.
However, if you do come across a PC merchant who will purchase items, take a moment to look through their stock. See what sort of items they consider worthy of their shop’s inventory. Remember, that PC merchant down the road will buy those average weapons and armor from you without cutting into a player’s profits. Granted, this is business and it’s a risky one. A merchant can go bust or make a killing depending on how they manage their business.
Now, if you have an item the you think you should get more gold for than the NPC merchant will give you, and you know a PC merchant you think would like the item for their inventory, get in touch with the PC. Send a raven or something to make arrangements for your PC to meet the shop owner. Often they will pay you more than the NPC which makes a profit for both PCs. The one selling gets more than the NPC price and the buyer gets to turn around and sell it at a profit. This option does take patience so it's not for the player who wants to reap the instant rewards of their plundering.
Having said all that, although it would be considerate to do as mentioned above and sell lesser items to the NPC merchant, it is ultimately their job to manage their business so they make the profits they wish. We have no set rules regarding the selling of merchandise to merchants, be they NPC or PC.
The Staff
*Edited and simplified from original post by Wids