Sell a Magic Item - Downtime Activity in D&D 5e

Downtime Activity
Selling Magic Items

Player's Roll
Charisma
Persuasion

Selling a Magic Item

A DM can allow a player to sell a magic item during their downtime. Selling magic items can be difficult due to con artists and thieves looking to make an easy score. And even if you manage to find a legitimate buyer, they may not offer a good price. To sell a magic item, a player needs:

  • Magic Item: A character must pick ONE magic item to sell.
  • Time: Finding a buyer takes 1 workweek (5 days)
  • Money: It costs 25 gp to spread word about the sale, and to find a legitmate buyer.
If the player meets the above criteria, then they must make a Charisma (Persuasion) check to determine what kind of offer comes in. If the offer is unfavorable, the character can always choose not to sell and try again later.

Pricing Magic Items

Pricing magic items is a large debate among D&D players. The price of a magic item, according the DMG, is based on the item's rarity. However, an item's rarity is not always a good measure of the item's power and true value. The table below shows how items are priced (as described in Xanathar's Guide to Everything). However, when pricing an item, many choose to use the homebrew Sane Price Guide. You can see each item's base Sane price by viewing our magic items page. The DM has full discretion on which price to use, and if they want to modify the price even more.

Rarity XGtE Base Price*
Common XGtE Base Price*:  100 gp
Unommon XGtE Base Price*:  400 gp
Rare XGtE Base Price*:  4,000 gp
Very Rare XGtE Base Price*:  40,000 gp
Legendary XGtE Base Price*:  200,000 gp
* Halved for a consumable item like a potion or scroll.
DM's many prefer to use the sane prices on our magic items page.

Offer for Magic Item

The player's Charisma (Persuasion) roll determines the offer for the magic item. Below is the official table in Xanathars. A DM may wish to offer 25% for a natural 1, and %200 for a natural 20.

Check Total Offer
1-10 Offer:  50% of base price
11-20 Offer:  100% of base price
21+ Offer:  150% of base price

Selling Magic Item Complications

Selling magic items attract thieves and con artists, all looking to take advantage of a situation. Every workweek spent trying to sell an item brings a 10% chance of a complication occuring. A DM can choose from the list below, or add their own complications.

d6 Complication
1 Complication:  Your enemy secretly arranges to buy the item to use it against you.
2 Complication:  A thieves' guild, alerted to the sale, attempts to steal your item.
3 Complication:  A foe circulates rumors that your item is a fake.
4 Complication:  A sorcerer claims your item as a birthright and demands you hand it over.
5 Complication:  Your item's previous owner, or surviving allies of the owner, vow to retake the item by force.
6 Complication:  The buyer is murdered before the sale is finalized.
† Might involve a rival.


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