DM Q&A Crafting & Pricing

[HarleyKyn]

Merchant rules state the following for crafted items: Ideally there should be some mark-up as well, e.g. the 50% formula.

After some in-character and out of character chatter, I heard supposedly that this is actually not an "ideally" thing but is rather a "have to be" thing. 

To me, the way the rule reads, it sounds like crafted items (using an adamantine sword as an example) should sell for no less than 10,000 (so the merchant breaks even), and that usually there is a mark-up, using the 50% formula as an example. 

Is the 50%-of-crafting-cost mark-up a solid minimum or is it just the ideal minimum?
(Especially since you state it can't sell for less than crafting cost... which... would indicate that technically that base crafting price is the minimum cost.) 

So I'm basically here for clarification... as a wanna-be-merchant-when-I'm-less-poor-for-a-license crafter. ^^; 

Thanks!!! 

[Munroe]

You shouldn't always listen to the in-character and out-of-character chatter.

The minimum for selling items your character has crafted from materials is the crafting cost (including any material costs for consumed crafting materials). Ideally there SHOULD be a mark-up to reflect a profit on labor (even though it's imaginary labor when XP isn't concerned), but there is no minimum mark-up above the crafting cost of the items. Characters should not be selling their crafted items for less than their cost to make them.

I have not heard of a "+50% of crafting cost" formula. This whole +50% of crafting cost markup thing sounds like maybe crafter players trying to prevent other characters from underselling their crafting characters at market. Or possibly they're misreading the actual rule and propagating misinformation. The "e.g. the 50% formula" mentioned in the crafting section of the minimum prices rules quoted below is only a suggestion based on the previously mentioned 50%-of-shop-price for non-crafted items. It's not +50% of crafting cost at all. That suggestion is that you consider bringing the item price up to 50% of the shop price for a comparable item, as though selling a found item. It's only a suggestion for mark-up though, not a required minimum.

If the crafting costs prove to be too low, raising the crafting costs is much easier than adjusting shop prices across the module. Crafting costs for weapons and armor were adjusted when the expanded crafting was added, and may be tweaked further in the future. Also, if there are changes to crafted item minimum prices, the rules will reflect those changes.

Dec 9, 2018 0:07:03 GMT -5 DM Hawk said:

3. Minimum Prices - There are minimum prices for any PC-to-PC transactions, whether with a merchant license or not. For convenience, the Merchant License details set minimum prices for many common item types.

The minimum prices do not specify the extra profit you can charge for an item above and beyond these rates, only the minimum pricing. Though if your price seems like an excuse for twinking by having a wealthy friend buy crap at very high prices that will still be addressed.

Apply First: the "50% formula" - If a PC wants to sell something to another PC, the item must be sold for a minimum of 50% of what the item would cost if a PC was to buy it from a NPC shopkeeper / merchant.

Apply Second: the "2.5x formula" - If the item is not sold by an NPC shop-keeper / merchant, only THEN can the PC Merchant offer to instead set a selling price (to another PC) of a minimum of 2.5 times (250%) of the value at which a NPC shop-keeper / merchant would offer to buy the item. This only applies for items that can't be found in a store, it is not an excuse not to check stores nor a work-around to undercut the 50% price-point.

Crafted Items - Crafted items have a base crafting cost so things shouldn't be sold for less than this. Ideally there should be some mark-up as well, e.g. the 50% formula. In some cases, such as scrolls, crafting an item costs more than it costs to buy it so there's no good uniform formula for crafted items.

Traps - There is no minimum prices for PC merchants to sell traps. Traps generally can't be resold to NPC merchants for "real" profit either. Traps are a craftable item with no direct crafting cost. Some traps are more valuable than others for their raw materials, but in the end they are generally more valuable as traps, which don't have much value.



4. Do not sell - Paladins may not craft and sell Bless Weapons scrolls. They may be crafted for personal use only.

[HarleyKyn]

Much thanks, Munroe!!

That's exactly how I interpreted the rules, but the chatter threw me into a pool of doubt.

Super appreciate the clarification!

[snaer]

i got the 50% from hawk when i asked him

[DM Hawk]

Oct 26, 2020 1:03:01 GMT -5 snaer said:

i got the 50% from hawk when i asked him

Hi Snaer and all


I found the conversation from Discord last year where I answered a question from Snaer about a conflict between the license and the forum:

[7:44 PM] DM Hawk | FRC: It's a confusing situation and it's not any player's fault
[7:45 PM] DM Hawk | FRC: The issue is the cost of the +2 armor crafting being low or otherwise not aligning with the license
[7:45 PM] DM Hawk | FRC: so, you can go with the guidenceon the forum, working off of your cost
[7:45 PM] DM Hawk | FRC: if you get grief ic or ooc about it - just tell them politely in a tell that I provided this guidence and they're free to talk with me about it.

This meant to use the guidance on the forum if there was a conflict with the instructions on the license.

For crafting items, the forum says total crafting cost is the minimum allowed sales price and merchants should mark up their sales price from there. Marking up from cost is the norm as merchants are generally in business to earn a living, not to sell goods at cost and just break even.

The forum provides an example of using the 50% formula as a means to determine the markup.

[7:46 PM] Snaer: ok thank you 50% over cost
[7:46 PM] Snaer: perfect

Snaer I took the response to mean you were adopting the example, which was absolutely fine.

[7:46 PM] DM Hawk | FRC: I'll put on the list to review crafting costs, but it might be a little while

This remains on the list to do and it should help once we get there.

[Rigo Banger]

How do you craft traps?

[Script Wrecked]

Right click to bring up the radial menu, find the crafting icon "brass anvil", click. That starts a conversation. with a "Craft Traps" option. I've never done it, but you will need "skeleton knuckles".