PC Sell price on any Tavernkeep item increasing by 11.25x after purchase

[FantaUvaXD]

Steam or GOG

Steam

Single Player/Multiplayer

Single

Operating System

Windows 10

Terraria Version

1.4.1.2

Controls Used

Keyboard/Mouse

Update: Apparently there is a feature that allows players to sell items back for the price they bought it for, in case they regret their purchase. That's the reason why the sell price of items was increasing so much. However, since most of the items in the Tavernkeep's inventory are bought with Defender Medals, it doesn't make sense to increase the sell price in coins. That seems like an oversight, and i don't think it's intended.

Spoiler: Old post

After buying any item from the tavernkeep, the sell price for any duplicate of that specific item (including the item itself) increases by 11.25x. After closing and reopening the shop, the sell price goes back to normal. If an item has a modifier, the price doesnt increase.

For example:
1. Open Tavernkeep's shop.
2. Buy item X.
3. Item X will sell for 11.25x as much as it should. (This also applies for any duplicates of item X, as long as they dont have a modifier.)
4. Upon closing and reopening the shop, the sell price goes back to normal.

Below are screenshots showing the bug happening with the Lightning Aura Staff, although any other item sold by the Tavernkeep could be used instead.

Normal sell price, before the bug:

Sell price after buying another Lightning Aura Staff (both of the staffs on the picture have the same price)

A third Staff, with the Zealous reforge, retains its original price

The sell price, after closing and reopening the shop:

 

[Dreadnautilus5000🌳]

I think I know what's happening here. According to the wiki, one Defender Medal is equal to one Gold Coin, however sell prices are only 20% of sell prices, so one Defender Medal is equal to 20 Silver Coins. But! Since 1.4, if you buy an item, you can sell it back for the same price that you bought it for, unless you close and reopen the shop, so that you don't waste money if you accidentally sell something you don't want to sell. This means that if you sell a Lightning Aura Staff that you just bought (like in your example), it should sell for one Platinum Coin, if the Tavernkeep is neutral in terms of Happiness, because how much money you sell an item for increases based on the NPC's Happiness. However I'm not sure why the Happiness doesn't apply to the sell price once the shop has been closed, or why the Lightning Aura Staff can be only sold for 10 Gold Coins instead of 15 Gold Coins once the shop has been closed, because the wiki says that its base sell price is 15 Gold, or why the Happiness that seems to by applying to the Lightning Aura Staff's price when the shop hasn't been closed isn't applying to the price after the shop has been closed.

 

[FantaUvaXD]

I think I know what's happening here. According to the wiki, one Defender Medal is equal to one Gold Coin, however sell prices are only 20% of sell prices, so one Defender Medal is equal to 20 Silver Coins. But! Since 1.4, if you buy an item, you can sell it back for the same price that you bought it for, unless you close and reopen the shop, so that you don't waste money if you accidentally sell something you don't want to sell. This means that if you sell a Lightning Aura Staff that you just bought (like in your example), it should sell for one Platinum Coin, if the Tavernkeep is neutral in terms of Happiness, because how much money you sell an item for increases based on the NPC's Happiness. However I'm not sure why the Happiness doesn't apply to the sell price once the shop has been closed, or why the Lightning Aura Staff can be only sold for 10 Gold Coins instead of 15 Gold Coins once the shop has been closed, because the wiki says that its base sell price is 15 Gold, or why the Happiness that seems to by applying to the Lightning Aura Staff's price when the shop hasn't been closed isn't applying to the price after the shop has been closed.

I didn't know that was a feature. Apparently there is no bug here: the Tavernkeep is simply at the lowest possible happiness, which means the sell price is 2/3 of the original, so the sell price of 10 gold coins is correct. If the Staff could be bought with coins, it would cost 75 gold, but since there is a 3/2 modifier, that is 112.5 gold instead, or 1 platinum, 12 gold and 50 silver, the sell price i get right after buying another staff. The weird thing is that this mechanic was apparently intended for players who regret their purchase to get their money back, but since most Tavernkeep items are bought with defender medals and not money, the increase shouldn't occur. That is more an oversight than a bug, but i'll still leave it open because it doesn't make sense.

 

[Dreadnautilus5000🌳]

I didn't know that was a feature. Apparently there is no bug here: the Tavernkeep is simply at the lowest possible happiness, which means the sell price is 2/3 of the original, so the sell price of 10 gold coins is correct. If the Staff could be bought with coins, it would cost 75 gold, but since there is a 3/2 modifier, that is 112.5 gold instead, or 1 platinum, 12 gold and 50 silver, the sell price i get right after buying another staff. The weird thing is that this mechanic was apparently intended for players who regret their purchase to get their money back, but since most Tavernkeep items are bought with defender medals and not money, the increase shouldn't occur. That is more an oversight than a bug, but i'll still leave it open because it doesn't make sense.

Wait... where did the "3/2 modifier" come from?

 

[FantaUvaXD]

Wait... where did the "3/2 modifier" come from?

The maximum price modifier is 150%, which is 3/2. The sell price gets multiplied by the multiplicative inverse, 2/3. I took that from the NPCs page in the wiki.

Conversely, factors that make an NPC unhappy will raise its prices purchased from it, up to a maximum of 150%, and decrease the value of goods sold to it, down to a minimum 67% (2/3).