Are gems sold at 1/2 value as well?

[Morquard]

Usually stuff seems to be sold at half their list value, but then people say "carry gems instead of gold, it's easier to carry".
But if I buy a gem for 1000 gp, do I just get 500 for it when I sell it, or are gems actually 1:1 ?

And is there something anywhere in any books about that?

[missmvicious]

Pg. 112 Player's Handbook I

"Trade goods are the exception to the half-price rule. A trade good, in this sense, is a valuable good that can be easily exchanged almost as if it were cash itself. Wheat, flour, cloth, gems, jewelry, are objects, and valuable metals are trade goods, and merchants often trade in them directly without using currency (see Table 7--3: Trade Goods). Obviously, merchants can sell these goods for slightly more than they pay for them, but the difference is small enough that you don't have to worry about it."

Some DMs won't give you even trade easily, though, and you may have to haggle, using Diplomacy checks in order to get a fair price. Check with your DM about any house rules that would change, but the facts are posted above... direct excerpt from the handbook.

[Diefje]

Anything that's "trade goods" can be bought/sold at 100% (SRD http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/wealthAndMoney.htm#wealthOtherThanCoins )

Which goods are trade goods will be up to the DM.

[Morquard]

Ah thanks. I got my hands on a couple of gems and now have something to back up my claim i should be able to sell it at full or treat it as straight up money.

[Jeraa]

Though carrying your wealth in gems isn't always a good idea. A gold piece is always worth a gold piece. The value of a gem isn't apparent just by looking at it - that is what an appraise check is for. While on a successful check, you know the correct value, a failed check could assess its worth at half what it really is. Of course, the appraiser could also value it at 150% of what it should be if he fails, so it isn't always bad. (This is assuming that gems are considered "common" items. If not, a failed check means they have no idea of the gems worth.)

Any shopkeeper you try to pay with gems should make an appraise check - for all they know, you are just paying with colored glass unless they check it.

[Qwertystop]

Another problem with paying in gems is that of change. If you have 100 gp in gold pieces, it's fairly easy to pay the right amount, and it'd be fairly easy for the shopkeeper to make change.

If you have 100 gp in the form of a single ruby, it's a lot harder to do that.

[S_Grey]

Does your character have appraise? If not: ALL of the things sell for nothing!

[Seffbasilisk]

I like gems, because they sell 1:1 but additionally, I can bribe people for ridiculously low amounts.

[Socratov]

Does your character have appraise? If not: ALL of the things sell for nothing!

depends on the GM, mine used gems as currency because else you wouldn't be able to carry your gold (he liked giving us lots of money) with a str of 9...

[Coidzor]

Does your character have appraise? If not: ALL of the things sell for nothing!

That DMing philosophy is so far beyond my sig I don't even.

[tyckspoon]

Does your character have appraise? If not: ALL of the things sell for nothing!

Find a reputable dealer. Pay him his 10 GP or whatever to appraise your gems. Get a signed and marked letter from him stating his results. You now know what your pretty stones are worth. Alternately, you just offer them to people and see if they'll take one gem in place of a much larger quantity of raw GP- if the person you're dealing with doesn't have Appraise or knowledge of gem values either, he's likely to greatly overvalue it.

[Jeraa]

- if the person you're dealing with doesn't have Appraise or knowledge of gem values either, he's likely to greatly overvalue it.

He is just as likely to greatly undervalue it too, causing you to spend more then you wanted.

[Diefje]

And next week, your "friendly" neighborhood shopkeep will be appraising your gold pieces at only 50%. Sorry!

[Mikeavelli]

This means it's possible to take a gem of some starting worth, enchant it somehow (I don't have time to thumb through books right now to find something specific, maybe in a bit) - so that it now sells for half price, and have a more valuable gem worth less than it was before you started.

Awesome, huh?

[Coidzor]

And next week, your "friendly" neighborhood shopkeep will be appraising your gold pieces at only 50%. Sorry!

Hence, why, for the DM's stress levels, it's best not to go down that road in the first place.


This means it's possible to take a gem of some starting worth, enchant it somehow (I don't have time to thumb through books right now to find something specific, maybe in a bit) - so that it now sells for half price, and have a more valuable gem worth less than it was before you started.

Awesome, huh?

Ayup.

[Qwertystop]

This means it's possible to take a gem of some starting worth, enchant it somehow (I don't have time to thumb through books right now to find something specific, maybe in a bit) - so that it now sells for half price, and have a more valuable gem worth less than it was before you started.

Awesome, huh?

What? How?

[tyckspoon]

What? How?

When you enchant it you change it from a Trade Good (100% resale value) to a Wondrous Item (50% resale value standard.) It's not terribly likely- the highest average value for gem treasure is only 5,000, and magic items are regularly valued in tens of thousands- but it is possible; might happen more often if you use gems as the material base of weapon/armor augment crystals.

[Qwertystop]

When you enchant it you change it from a Trade Good (100% resale value) to a Wondrous Item (50% resale value standard.) It's not terribly likely- the highest average value for gem treasure is only 5,000, and magic items are regularly valued in tens of thousands- but it is possible; might happen more often if you use gems as the material base of weapon/armor augment crystals.

Wow... That's...
:smallsigh:

[Worira]

And this is why you should only ever pay for things in cows.

[Qwertystop]

Ooh! Moneymaking idea!

Get a cheap wondrous item made of trade goods, disenchant it somehow, then sell it. Might have to special-order it, since they're usually expensive.

[gooddragon1]

Ooh! Moneymaking idea!

Get a cheap wondrous item made of trade goods, disenchant it somehow, then sell it. Might have to special-order it, since they're usually expensive.

1. Ladder (10 foot) 5 cp
2. Pole (10 foot) 2 sp
3. 1 sp = 10 cp
3. ???
4. Profit.

[Qwertystop]

1. Ladder (10 foot) 5 cp
2. Pole (10 foot) 2 sp
3. 1 sp = 10 cp
3. ???
4. Profit.

But is the ladder 10 feet long? And aren't the poles made collapsible?

[awa]

cut a ladder in half you have a broken ladder. you might be able to use it as a pole but its not as good its full of holes and is more awkwardly shaped no shop keep will buy it.

edit collapsible 10 foot poles are diff rent the ladder is in fact 10 feet long but this does not change the fact that no shop keep will buy a broken ladder.

[panaikhan]

I'm sure one of the settings has a 'high-value' coin - heavily worked with a gem in the centre.
Or, take a leaf out of 4e and trade that 'magical dust'. Far easier to carry.

[Eldariel]

1. Ladder (10 foot) 5 cp
2. Pole (10 foot) 2 sp
3. 1 sp = 10 cp
3. ???
4. Profit.

Quarterstaff = 0 cp
Firewood = 1 cp/20 lb

Crafting time & cost is cost-based; craft Qstaves, cut 'em in 3-4, sell as firewood.

[panaikhan]

Quarterstaff = 0 cp
Firewood = 1 cp/20 lb

Crafting time & cost is cost-based; craft Qstaves, cut 'em in 3-4, sell as firewood.

Cut? "Here Mr Barbarian. I bet you can't bend this quarterstaff in half"