OK, I need some clarification about this selling goods rules.

• EoT core rulebook (page 114): if a character wishes to sell goods or services, the final price is determined by a Negotiation check. Extra success on a Negotiation check may be used to increase the acting character’s profit by 5% per success.
• EoT core rulebook (page 145): Wheel and Deal talent => When he sells legal goods to a reputable merchant or business, the character gains an additional 10% more credits per rank of Wheel and Deal (based on the original sell price of the good or item).
• EoT core rulebook (page 150): Player Characters can generally sell an item for one quarter of its cost on a successful Negotiation check, increasing that to one-half with 2 successes and threequarters with 3 or more.

I will put an example: an advanced Trader player wants to sell a 1000 credits base price item.

1. First of all, I understand that players can sell the item for 250 credits (a quarter of its value).
2. I apply Wheel and Deal Talent at rank 2 (20% increase). The base value goes from 1000 to 1200.
3. I apply Master Merchant talent to sell for a 25% more. Added to the 20% increase of Wheel and Deal, that would be a 45% increase on 1000 credits, that is 1450 credits.
4. Then I apply Rarity increase rules, lets say a rarity 2 increase.
5. First question => The base value goes from 1450 to 2900, or from 1000 to 2000 and then apply the 45% increase?
6. Then I roll an opposed Negotiation check. And here is my problem.
7. Second question => By the rules of page 150, I can sell the item to a max value of three quarters with 3 neat successes, that would be 2175 credits maximum (if consider base price to be 2900). Buuuut, by the descrition of the skill at page 114 says that player has a 5% profit increase per extra success... that would be 5% of 2900 per successes after the first one + 1 quarter of 2900. If I have 3 successes then this is 725 + 145 + 145 = 1015 credits... 1160 credits far away from the 3/4 rules.
8. For maths sake I apply the 3/4 rules, but what I do about those 5% sugestion on the Negotiation skill description (page 144)??

I find this terribly contradictory. I can understand this for services (I want to buy a mercenary services and I bargain the price a 5% up or down per success), but why put 2 so diferent rules about the same thing (selling goods)?

What do you apply?

Yeah, the basic rules are a bit of a mess and not very consistent. I think Fly Casual has better trading rules, or at least more consistent cost benefits with charts for how to spend advantages etc when negotiating prices.

One thing to consider is the cost of the item doesn't have to be fixed. You can set it to be whatever you want, and chalk it up to location, local economics and politics, etc. The galaxy is huge, and a blaster might have wildly different prices depending on where you find one. Never mind that the seller can also set whatever markup they feel is reasonable for the local conditions...or even whether they like the party or not. And the NPC doesn't have to sell if they don't like the price...they aren't automatons, they have ideas of their own. So all that makes it even less consistent.

If you or your players really like to track credits, then the next bit won't apply. At my table we don't bother tracking small items, and we definitely don't get into nickel and dime stuff. We generally only track big ticket items, and these tend to be story-based, so cost doesn't always factor in...it's usually more about theft and/or favours. So I let my players skip all those Talents, or replace them with something more useful. The main reason we do this is because: a) it takes too long to figure out all the percentages; and b) there is ZERO drama involved. If you take a look at your post, imagine having to do even a small part of that every time the players want something, it would be tedious in the extreme.

But of course, some people like that kind of thing and find drama in shaving 9 extra credits off a 1000 credit item...

So I’d interpret it for a 1000 credit item as:

- First, find the local base value of the item. E.g. 1000 -> 2000.

- Second, roll your Negotiation check to determine the base sell price- 500 (25%), 1000 (50%) or 1500 (75%). We’ll label this ‘X’.

- The specific rules for spending success on selling preowned items supercede the 5% bonuses mentioned in the general skill description.

- Wheel and deal 2 adds 20% ‘based on the original sell price’ so 20%*X.

- Master Merchant adds 25% ‘more than base cost’ which I think is an error, and should be ‘base sell price’ so 25%*X. I think they just want to prevent this and Wheel and Deal stacking multiplicatively as the maths is a pain, but worded it poorly.

So either:

- 500 + (45% * 500) = 725

- 1000 + (45% * 1000) = 1450

- 1500 + (45% * 1500) = 2175

This is the easiest maths so probably the intended behaviour, and you can only make more than the buy cost back if you roll well and suffer strain, which seems about right.

I'll add that as I understand it the rarity multiplier is made for large scale trading when the players want to buy on one planet and sell on another. Selling individual items goes off of the base price, modified by however the GM thinks it should be based on the current situation.

9 hours ago, Talkie Toaster said:

So I’d interpret it for a 1000 credit item as:

- First, find the local base value of the item. E.g. 1000 -> 2000.

- Second, roll your Negotiation check to determine the base sell price- 500 (25%), 1000 (50%) or 1500 (75%). We’ll label this ‘X’.

- The specific rules for spending success on selling preowned items supercede the 5% bonuses mentioned in the general skill description.

- Wheel and deal 2 adds 20% ‘based on the original sell price’ so 20%*X.

- Master Merchant adds 25% ‘more than base cost’ which I think is an error, and should be ‘base sell price’ so 25%*X. I think they just want to prevent this and Wheel and Deal stacking multiplicatively as the maths is a pain, but worded it poorly.

So either:

- 500 + (45% * 500) = 725

- 1000 + (45% * 1000) = 1450

- 1500 + (45% * 1500) = 2175

This is the easiest maths so probably the intended behaviour, and you can only make more than the buy cost back if you roll well and suffer strain, which seems about right.

Thank you. That explanatin helped a lot ^^

As the rulebooks basically say all trading rules are subject to GM discretion, here is what I came up with while running Star Wars.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mej3dn1j943w88n/AACUQydF-PN2BDIjNU8wYwZMa?dl=0&preview=Expanded+Trading+Rules.docx

I too am trying to make my way around this. I started with a RW example (yuk).... years ago I was working for a retail supplier.... one Monday we came in to find the (very large i.e. thick) printout with all the supplier costs to retail costs... the company bought in a single can of lager in bulk for 7p a can.. sold to the retailer for 20p a can which was on the shelves at the time for 90p a can - I have no idea of UK sterling to US comparison... eventually the owner sold the company for £30million!

All i'm trying to say is if the players roll enough successes or a triumph they can bulk buy at EXTREMELY low costs. I know page 151 is set as screwing the players over keeping the crew hungry to prevent credit acquisition like D&D but once in a while give the players a break

I am pre-empting my group before we even roll PCs and have made a quick thumbnail paragraph reminding me that cost value in the splat results in a 'Sell item for 25%' on page 150... assuming small items and equipment retail from supplier (to transporter to merchant) as 25% of splat value.... somewhere in the SW universe someone is getting screwed over (the buyer) and someone is making money hand over fist (usually the Hutts, Black Sun or the Empire!)

12 minutes ago, ExpandingUniverse said:

All i'm trying to say is if the players roll enough successes or a triumph they can bulk buy at EXTREMELY low costs.

With my own rules you're not wrong on that. I figure it's earned if they roll enough advantage/triumph anyway, as the only other means is to have many talents to get the discounts or boons regardless of advantage/triumph rolled, but one could certainly put limiters on things if desired.

On 10/10/2019 at 11:23 PM, Ahrimon said:

I'll add that as I understand it the rarity multiplier is made for large scale trading when the players want to buy on one planet and sell on another. Selling individual items goes off of the base price, modified by however the GM thinks it should be based on the current situation.

If the players manage to acquire a ship for nothing they'll be happy with whatever they get... believe me ( we secured a Firespray with a knackered hyperdrive)

Player one (me): Ok... so I'll nip to the the local Bounty Hunters Guild Safehouse an inquire about the acquisition's ship (acquisition was DOA).

GM: BHG explains that acquisition is now DOA (Issues termination papers with proof) and you may go to the local BoSS Office and claim Salvage Rights.

Player two (my partner in crime): So how much as a rough guess....

GM ponders, we butt in with using a Destiny Point before he can

GM: D*** it.... (checks tables - lookd at result checks table - face palms) 15K!

In unison: Yeah that'll do!

Not bad for a free ship - on top of the Acquisition's 5K bounty!!!! We didn't get many breaks after that, but we weren't really fussed tbh as we also secured six B1 battle droid as well at the same time ( we kept them for comedic value).. we played after that session mainly for s***s & giggles

and I'm just pre-empting buying/selling vaporators and water!!!!!!!