5E Economics - Buying & Selling

In the good old days of 3rd edition, there was a booming magic item economy.  Everything had a price, from the tanglefoot bag all the way to +5 plate.  Never mind that suit of plate would cost the annual revenue of a kingdom, but you could go shopping if you had the coin.

Now in 5th edition, there isn't an implied magic item shop economy.  But lord knows alchemists and hedge wizards will peddle potions of healing, there are pseudo-magical items to buy like alchemist's fire.  But can you buy that in the local village?  Not as likely as the bazaar of a metropolitan capital.

Waaaaaay back, Warhammer Fantasy RPG had an excellent 'rarity' mark for everything you might want to buy or sell.  Green Ronin's 3E Black Company Campaign Sourcebook also had something similar.  Using that, you can flag things that are easily purchased, and things that you have to hunt for.

So let's say you want to buy a longsword in a village (it's uncommon, by my chart).  It's beyond the normal means of a village … so you have to make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investiation) roll at disadvantage, and spend 1d6 hours knocking on people's doors, asking for leads from the local blacksmith, etc.

In another example, if you wand to sell a +1 sword (a rare item) in a small city, that's well within the means of the local economy.  You still need to make a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation); and take 1d6 days.  First of all, it's got a price range, not a set amount, so rather than 2000 gp for an item, it's somewhere between 500 and 5000 gp in value (roll random dice as you will do determine the end result).  If you fail the check, no one is interested.  If you succeed, you roll on a chart, you might get is 1/4th of the minimum price, or 125 gp, or or 500 gp, or maybe even 1000 gp but there's a catch.  By making this random and unpredictable, it prevents the 'guaranteed buy and sell' mindset of 3rd edition magic items.  

Enjoy!

Selling Loot

     When recovered items are in perfect condition, they may be sold at half of market price.  If they are in poor condition, or filthy, they might only be worth one-tenth of regular market value.

Rarity of Items

     From the simplest farming implement to the most valued suit of full plate, items have various levels of rarity.  A common item might be easily found in a hamlet, where a rare magical scroll might be found only in a metropolis after time and effort.

     While common items may have a simple price listed, exotic or rare items may display a wide range for purchase price -- this can fluctuate wildly depending on the region, culture, season, or temprament of the seller.  These base price ranges are roughly based on rarity, but may be higher or lower based on the quality or size of the items in question.

Buying Rare Items

     If you are in a settlement of sufficient size, or you take the described time, you make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to successfully find a non-magical item to purchase, or a DC 20-25 check for magical or exotic items.  If you search in a settlement that is too small, the roll is made at a disadvantage.  On a failed check, no seller is found for the maximum search time, and another check can be made again.  On a successful check, a buyer is found after the required time.

     For each item being purchased, roll on the following table, adding the result of a Charisma (Persuasion) check as a modifier on the table.

D100 + Mod	You Find A Seller ...
20 or lower	A seller offering the item a three times the fixed price, or the maximum ranged price.
21-40	A seller offering the item at one and a half times the fixed price, or 75% of the maximum ranged price.
41-80	A seller offering the item at the fixed price, or 50% of the maximum ranged price.
81-90	A seller offering the item at three-quarters of the fixed price, or 25% of the maximum ranged price.
91 or higher	A seller offering the item at half the fixed price, or the minimum ranged price.

Selling Rare Items

     A rare item can be sold in a settlement of sufficient size, and with sufficient time.  Each salable item requires a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check to find a buyer.  If in a settlement that is too small, the roll is made at disadvantage.  On a failed check, no buyer for an item is found for the maximum search time, and another check can be made again.  On a successful check, a buyer is found after a number of days. 

     For each item being sold, roll on the following table, adding the results of a Charisma (Persuasion) check as a modifier on the table.

D100 + Mod	You Find A Buyer ...
20 or lower	A buyer offering a tenth of the fixed price, or a quarter of the minimum ranged price.
21-40	A buyer offering a quarter of the fixed price or half the minimum ranged price.  Alternatively, a shady buyer offering the full fixed price, or the minimum ranged price.
41-80	A buyer offering half the fixed price or 75% of the minimum ranged price.  Alternatively, a shady buyer may offer the the full fixed price, or the minimum ranged price.
81-90	A buyer offering the full fixed price, or the minimum ranged price.
91 or higher	A shady buyer offering 1½ times the fixed price, or double the minimum ranged price -- no questions asked.

Crafting Rare Items

     While regular items can be created at 5 gp per day towards their base price, an exotic or magical item has a creation cost at a progress of 25 gp per day, paying the same amount as a cost, but may require a minimum character level, possible ingredients, formulae, or tools, as well as requisite spell abilities. 

     Often, special materials or tools can increase the rate of construction or reduce the cost of needed materials.  If multiple modifiers apply, each one applies to the base cost rather than compounding on each other.

     The DMG (p. 129) has detailed rules for magic item creation.

Rarity	Settlement Size	Time to Sell	Base Price	Time to Buy	Modifier	Creation Cost	Min Creation Level
Everyday	Any	1d20 minutes	--	1d3 hours (3 days max)	+30	--	--
Very Common	Thorp, Hamlet	1d3 hours	10 -50 gp	1d6 hours (14 days max)	+20	--	--
Common	Village	1d6 hours	50-100 gp	1d4 days (80 days max)	+10	100 gp	3rd
Uncommon	Small Town	1d4 days	101-500 gp	1d6 days (120 days max)	+0	500 gp	3rd
Rare	Large Town, Small City	1d6 days	501-5,000 gp	1d8 days (160 days max)	-10	5,000 gp	6th
Very Rare	Large City	1d8 days	5,001-50,000 gp	1d10 days (200 days max)	-20	50,000 gp	11th
Legendary	Metropolis	---	--	--	---	500,000 gp	17th