This confuses me. Many shop owners have really powerful items for sale. For example, Jensine has the Akaviri Warblade, which I bet is very rare since it's the only one in the game.

So how do these shop owners get these items?

They wanted a lot of expensive crap for the player to spend on, so they created random enchanted stuff with random names, with no real thought to it. Its how you end up with an "akaviri warhammer" that is clearly Dwemer in origin. There was no reason to explain how they get this stuff.

Traveling Merchants or other Adventurers sold them to the shopkeepers.

For an in-game explanation, most shops tend to carry a centerpiece. A massively expensive curio or antique that will only be moved by the ridiculously rich. Its a way to attract attention and draw people to examine their shop.

As for the warhammer, you don't know the thing's origins. It could've been pillaged during the Potentacy, enchanted and used, then been part of the spoils of war from the invasion of Ionith.

I always thought that those things were the gold gilded piles of crap that you find at general stores in real life that the old guy behind the counter says has a very intricate back story.

Although there is no explanation provided, common sense says that they might have obtained (bought) it either from adventurers (or basically anyone who got their hands on the specific item be it a scavenging soldier, magician, traveling merchant or simply a lucky person) or acquired it themselves. Maybe they had adventurous past, maybe they stumbled upon it while taking a walk in the Great Forest ( ).

But this is just one of the lore-correct possibilities. Concerning the game mechanics, then yes, the developers just wanted to include powerful easy-to-get items that players may spend money on.

Has nothing to do with lore. It's just the Devs giving players some good weapons to buy, as has already been said....

I thought the same thin before, how do all these people in Tamriel have all these hih quality weapons and armor?

Well when I got into guns in real life, I'll often encounter alot of people with expensive and rare guns rather than cheaper more common guns...

It may be because, like in real life, more of the proffessionals and enthusiasts put more time and energy out into getting the rarer and more expensive stuff, as opposed to alot of the cheaper and more common stuff may be used by ordinary people....

For example in Tamriel a full time adventurer may be able to afford say... An ebony sword, whereas a peasant who just wants to protect his family maybe get an iron sword.

I may be going a bit off topic but its a theory I have...

And also theres nothing strange about a shop having expensive items, as long as its not like a relic or something like Umbra or Goldbrand...