Even if it's a simple question, can you sell equipment and weapons for the same amount of money that it is required to purchase, or maybe even more? Also can you auction items with other players your playing with?

Wow, your right, that is a simple question. It's a "yes" on all accounts.

NPC's don't have access to the RAW to make sure they are paying what the book says and economies fluctuate. So in many situations you can expect to pay more or less then the book lists for items as well. Just think what the difference in price for an auto pistol would be in Gunmettal City vs some random warlords band on Iocanthus... or ghost Fire Pollen on Iocanthus vs Tranch. Beyond that, some aren't very shrewd businessmen while others might need something in a real bad way and you just might be the fella with it. And there's never anything saying one guy can't auction something he has off to a group of other guys he happens to work with.

Here is how I play it.

Guardsman X buys a new lasgun for 100 thrones (just an example), thro wear and tear that lasgun is now worth only 50 thrones if it is sold. However Guardsman X looks after it and cleans it only a daily basis (+10% to resell price) making it worth 60 thrones. He also has a Ad Mech friend that gives the gun all the proper treatment , blessings and sacred oils (+10% per level of success on Trade:Armourer test) and scores 3 LoS making the gun now worth 90 thrones. Guardsman X then tries to sell the gun to a trader and bigs up the guns history and is polite and respectful to the trader. The player rolls Fel vs Traders Int scoring 3 LoS to the traders 1, upping the value by another 20%.

The lasgun bought for 100 thrones on one planet was sold on another for 110 thrones just thro maintenance and a few nice words.

VarniusEisen's example is a good one for ways to influence resale value, but if you're just interested in unloading the gear as quickly as possible, I think a general rule of 40%-60% of the list price would be what you would get at a pawn shop or marketplace, modified by the relative scarcity of the item (selling a slugthrower in Gunmetal City, for example, will be harder if you don't go looking for a specific type of buyer). Use that number for selling lots of stuff quickly, since all you're trying to do is unload the stuff. If you actually want to take the time to barter, follow Varnius' plan.

Pretty much what Ebony said - trying to dump some equipment quickly will usually get you about half the list price unless there are some extraordinary circumstances. Setting up a buyer through contacts and doing some legwork will usually get some more.

Auctioning off equipment to your buddies... doesn't exactly fit my perception of inquisitorial work. Many parties function precisely because they share contacts, skills and other assets, with the noble supplying the money to buy stuff and the scum having the connections to get it.

Use common sense. If you buy something in the real world, then sell it on, you are unlikely to get better than half your money back in most circumstances. Quality of care and maintenance matter, as others have said. Military heroes are idolised, so an item possessed by such a person might actually increase in value, by a large margin; however I wouldn't have said that "this gun was used in X campaign" would add much to the value.

I would be very careful about allowing players to come up with cunning ways to increase the value of items (at least not above the original price). Where allowing it, barter rolls are needed to establish that you can turn the supposed improvement in value into an actual sale.

I would also be sure to impose time constraints on this process. It takes time to find a buyer for most items. You could just go down the pawn shop but you won't get a decent price for it there, so if you're looking to make money you need to spend time looking for a buyer, maybe even find premises to attract buyers to you. This is known as a shop. Players who wish to may turn their characters into what is called a shopkeeper - such characters become NPCs.

Seriously though, you can't make much money out of selling items without being at least a bit dedicated about it, and that is more time than more inquisitorial agents could spare. Give them half price, or a barter roll to increase that slightly, and leave it at that.

The Emporer in his divinity has blessed you with possesions to carry out your Holy duties and you wish to sell it for a mere PROFIT! If you wish no clothes walk naked but hang the mutant with your cloth. If you wish no weapons then weigh down the body of the heretic with such arms that he will drown in The Emporers pious dirt. If your ammo slows your duties seek the xenos so that you can destroy the very planets on which they TREAD! You disgrace your Inquisitor and master with your lack of experience, if His most trained cannot better use their time what hopes have the Hammer or Lightning of The Emporer.

I would also be sure to impose time constraints on this process. It takes time to find a buyer for most items. You could just go down the pawn shop but you won't get a decent price for it there, so if you're looking to make money you need to spend time looking for a buyer, maybe even find premises to attract buyers to you. This is known as a shop. Players who wish to may turn their characters into what is called a shopkeeper - such characters become NPCs.

Seriously though, you can't make much money out of selling items without being at least a bit dedicated about it, and that is more time than more inquisitorial agents could spare. Give them half price, or a barter roll to increase that slightly, and leave it at that.

That entirely depends on the campaign style. I'd expect many cells to operate on a part-time base, being called from their regular occupations whenever their inquisitor thinks something demands their attention. A full-time job for the "lowbies" sounds like a good way to make your acolytes lose their sanity sooner rather than later.

The Emporer in his divinity has blessed you with possesions to carry out your Holy duties and you wish to sell it for a mere PROFIT! If you wish no clothes walk naked but hang the mutant with your cloth. If you wish no weapons then weigh down the body of the heretic with such arms that he will drown in The Emporers pious dirt. If your ammo slows your duties seek the xenos so that you can destroy the very planets on which they TREAD! You disgrace your Inquisitor and master with your lack of experience, if His most trained cannot better use their time what hopes have the Hammer or Lightning of The Emporer.

If the Emperor in his divinity had blessed me with possessions that were sufficient to carry out the job, I wouldn't need to go around looting stuff, so...

Cifer said:

Your faith in the Emporer should be your shield, e'en though your armour fails. His words y'or ammunition. The blood of the heretic, the mutant, the xenos your currency.

Cifer said:

Well, sure. In my campaign everyone has a full-time job which they occasionally go on sabbatical from to do inquisition work. (In theory. It's actually more like the other way around at the moment.) But the point being they are very busy people, and putting in serious work to get low low prices probably isn't something they have time for.

Mantis Sine said:

I like your take on it, and I'm sure some zealous acolytes or higher members of the Inquisition could say something like that.

However, for less zealous characters such as scum, getting 50 thrones for a looted gun can be a matter of life or death, and in his eyes the Emperor provides when he can loot some fine equipment, either to use or to sell to aquire better gear with which to against the enemies of the Imperium.

Friend of the Dork said:

Thank you. Also, I know (I just like the flavour).

The Emporer provides in many ways, the zealous only guarantees His provisions.

Mantis Sine said:

It's just a game....calm down. If I sell a laspistol for a couple of thrones I'm pretty sure the warp won't suck me in, or the world won't end. So yeah.

XxMagicMisslexX said:

Oh you poor deluded fool. Do you not realize what the Tyrant Star is?

When you sell a las pistol for a few thrones, not only do you get sucked into the warp but the whole damned planet comes along for the ride! That's pretty much the end of the world if you ask me, but it gets worse. You see, the world and all instances of it through all time get sucked into the warp... it literally gets erased from reality completely and it keeps happening except no one knows it! It effectively never existed in the first place!

Once the world is pulled into the warp, it is merged with the countless trillions of other worlds which have suffered the same las selling doom forming the baleful Tyrant Star. It becomes the harbinger of doom which comes when someone tries to sell a las pistol for a few thrones.

The next time you see someone hawking a las pistol on the streets, shoot him, loot him, and save the world! Just don't turn around and try to sell that las pistol your self... the Tyrant Star is waiting...

Graver said:

Well, I'm going to sell a laspistol and see what happens. Or more correctly what the GM says. Let's hope he doesn't overreact and bring out the Tyrant Star...It's the GM's wish. He still wants to GM us I'm sure he doesn't want to end our gameplay.

It's just a game....calm down. If I sell a laspistol for a couple of thrones I'm pretty sure the warp won't suck me in, or the world won't end. So yeah.

I'm pretty sure those comments were meant as tongue-in-cheek ways of making a point, not serious allegations. T'was a mere joke.