Why do you people think comparing it to a store where we live should have anything to do with trying to sell a fork or glass in real life?

We are talking about things that do not have a large amount of value to us. At all. BECAUSE WE ARE RICH!

If we lived in a place such as the Middle Ages, or in some village in Africa, the majority of people would value "cups" and "forks" and everything else we consider worthless as the opposite. Why? Because back then you couldn't just go to a Wal-mart to get whatever you want. There was no advanced method of creating things. You had to go to potter! Yea, it was not worth much money, potters did not make much, but do you think they had worth? They did, because the value is just in one's perspective. I mean, that is why there should be a more intricate monatery system, with copper and silver and such. Pots would be worth not gold, but not nothing. It would be some copper or some silver. Forks would be a few copper for sure, I would think.

bah. what my point is: Everything has value, even if you don't think so. And this is Skyrim we are talking about, where there is probably not a very orderly economy. So I would think things have a bit more value in the region anyway.

Yes I totally agree with the OP. In fact the money system in OB made no whats so ever. You couldn't get more then 4-8 coins for a upper class shirt, or silver cup, but you could get 40 coins for a rusty war ax.

I loved that there were flavor items I needn't pick up and carry back to a vendor. Clutter makes the world feel more alive, but I have a hard time leaving even inexpensive items behind. Perhaps in Skyrim we'll be able to break the clay bowls, instead.

I absolutely agree -- but I think it's more than the issue of worthless items. Some items eventually become common in the game -- once I reach level 15 it's all Dwarven and Ebony and Mithral armour. Not bad in itself, but those and better soul gems evenually get to be common in that world -- yet the vendors always pay the same rate. Also, I think it would be much more realistic to have the prices vary by the commonality of an item in that environment. It's completely unrealistic that crab meat costs the same in Leyawiin and Bruma. Carbs are everywhere in Blackmarsh and nowhere to be found in the Jerralls. Same with gems. the mountains have many mines, the swamps don't. So emeralds should be valuable and rare in the swamplands and cheap in the mountains.

my best guess at a formula would be something like cost = bsaePrice * (1/quantity) meaning exactly what I said -- sell a lot of an item in the city, the price goes down.

What would be nice would be items being worth more to different people. Like some person who is obsessed with spoons or shoes. Or a jeweler will pay more for a jewel because he wants to make good business. Whereas a common villagetrader might not even want a gem.