I think it would be a good idea if you could barter for a group of items.
Instead of
offer 80 linen
offer 70 linen
offer 60 linen
barter
repeat
repeat
repeat..
You come in and say I would like to buy four lengths of linen please.
offer 340 4*linen
offer 310 4*linen
barter
Of course this is assuming that the shop has three items of that keyword. Mostly for when you buy from shops who have a lot of the item. You could end up buying three different shields you didn't want.
I would see it as adding all the items price up and having a base price for the group much as it does for the individual item.
Same thing for selling items.
offer 3*shield 250
barter
Neater solution, I think, and one I've seen posted somewhere would be to have the shopkeeper retain the original barter price.
So:
offer 150 #2
barter
..ensuing barter, assuming #2 is not a unique item in the list, would retain the original deal.
The way I suggested you wouldn't have to continue typing barter ten times or whatever, but that idea might be easier to implement.
I like Dead Newbie's idea. If you could buy multiple items all at once then maybe you could get an extra bulk buying discount. Normally, in a bartering culture, if you're buying a few of something the price comes down straight away just for that. By using the haggle skill at the moment maybe you can get a few 'sid knocked off the price. If you could tell the merchant that you're going to buy 5 of the item he could discount you further.
- - Ahhh, actually I suggested something the equivilent a little over a year ago, and someone did so before I did. I think the main reason they never implemented it was because it would aid in spam-crafting too much.
- - My only advice you is, don't feel too bad when this doesn't get implemented.
For example, a Kadian clothing shop might have:
1) a flowing lavender skirt
2) a flowing lavender skirt
3) a swirling topaz skirt
4) a blue velvet doublet
Say there are 12 topaz skirts in stock, but only one lists, because it is in the regular stock the shop boots up with, whereas the lavender skirts are ones a player has sold. So regular merchant stock already stacks, but sold items don't, so I would guess they are flagged differently. Might be as simple as a flag-change.
It's entirely possible I'm wrong, but I don't think spam-crafting makes a difference, because I have seen spam-crafted items, within the space of a week, actually push regular stock items off a menu. This would keep those stock items visible, as spam-crafters will sell as long as the shop has money to buy with. So if spam-crafting is a problem, then perhaps certain shopkeepers have too much money to buy player items with.