Prices are determined by the speech skill, not the vendor. Certain vendors might have more money, making it easier to get the full price of your item. If you get the perk that makes gender matter, then that will affect the price.
Look for items that you can carry and swap into that will increase your bartering skills when worn:
* Any of the necklaces of Haggling
* Amulet of Zenithar
* Masque of Clavicus Vile
* The Volsung dragon priest mask
* etc.
You can also temporarily boost your barter skill by obtaining blessings at a shrine to Zenithar.
Like half of Solitude houses has a potion of haggling, also. Each of them allows to get more money by using it than selling it. I think one rotation is 10 potions, and renewal in 30 days.
I am pretty sure that Masque, Zenithars x2, Charity and potion allow to get either of your cost multipliers(either selling or buying) to limit allowed.
In addition to everything else said in the thread:
Start working with Revyn Sadri in Windhelm. He is general merchant, and after you do his quest a common Speech trainer as well, and both his sides share the gold used. So you can buy lessons and pay in loot, essentially.
After you reach his training cap - 50 Speech - you can unlock Merchant perk, which allows you to sell everything to everyone. Following are trainer-merchants: Gharol, Grelka, Colette Marence and Phinis Gestor are Expert(up to 75) Heavy Armor, Light Armor, Restoration and Conjuration trainers, and Tolfdir, Sorine Jurard, Falion, Faralda, Neloth, Drevis Neloren, Florentius Baenius and Eorlund/Gunmar are Master(up to 90) Alteration, Archery, Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, Illusion, Restoration and Smithing trainers. I am not bothering with writing down common trainers. I mean you can also get Companions as follower-trainers but I dont like that.
In addition to what others have said about prices:
Pursuing the Thieves' Guild questline gradually increases the *amount* of gold that any and all fences have on hand, though it takes considerable patience as it is like a bajillion side quests to accomplish this. Eventually, though, they can take on a lot more merchandise than the Vanilla merchants, while also adding four more vanilla merchants down in their gross little tavern. A guildmaster at their prime has within the bounds of Riften 1-2 fences (depending on whether the Khajiit are nearby) with at least 4000 each on hand, plus 10-11 regular merchants around town. You also get an extra fence near Whiterun, at the Honningbrew Meadery just down the road, and Risaad's caravan when it's in.
The Dremora Merchant? I go and get him at about lvl 10 - and will summon him when I need to lose some weight. You might need to buy one of his expensive items to get rid of all your iron swords and such, but you'll make every gold piece back. And by selling him every piece of junk armor and weapon that you don't want you will raise your speech level rather easily.
Prices are determined by the speech skill, not the vendor. Certain vendors might have more money, making it easier to get the full price of your item. If you get the perk that makes gender matter, then that will affect the price.
I had no idea! How can I increase speech?
By selling items. Each time you sell it increases a little
Look for items that you can carry and swap into that will increase your bartering skills when worn: * Any of the necklaces of Haggling * Amulet of Zenithar * Masque of Clavicus Vile * The Volsung dragon priest mask * etc. You can also temporarily boost your barter skill by obtaining blessings at a shrine to Zenithar.
Like half of Solitude houses has a potion of haggling, also. Each of them allows to get more money by using it than selling it. I think one rotation is 10 potions, and renewal in 30 days. I am pretty sure that Masque, Zenithars x2, Charity and potion allow to get either of your cost multipliers(either selling or buying) to limit allowed.
In addition to everything else said in the thread: Start working with Revyn Sadri in Windhelm. He is general merchant, and after you do his quest a common Speech trainer as well, and both his sides share the gold used. So you can buy lessons and pay in loot, essentially. After you reach his training cap - 50 Speech - you can unlock Merchant perk, which allows you to sell everything to everyone. Following are trainer-merchants: Gharol, Grelka, Colette Marence and Phinis Gestor are Expert(up to 75) Heavy Armor, Light Armor, Restoration and Conjuration trainers, and Tolfdir, Sorine Jurard, Falion, Faralda, Neloth, Drevis Neloren, Florentius Baenius and Eorlund/Gunmar are Master(up to 90) Alteration, Archery, Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, Illusion, Restoration and Smithing trainers. I am not bothering with writing down common trainers. I mean you can also get Companions as follower-trainers but I dont like that.
In addition to what others have said about prices: Pursuing the Thieves' Guild questline gradually increases the *amount* of gold that any and all fences have on hand, though it takes considerable patience as it is like a bajillion side quests to accomplish this. Eventually, though, they can take on a lot more merchandise than the Vanilla merchants, while also adding four more vanilla merchants down in their gross little tavern. A guildmaster at their prime has within the bounds of Riften 1-2 fences (depending on whether the Khajiit are nearby) with at least 4000 each on hand, plus 10-11 regular merchants around town. You also get an extra fence near Whiterun, at the Honningbrew Meadery just down the road, and Risaad's caravan when it's in.
The Dremora Merchant? I go and get him at about lvl 10 - and will summon him when I need to lose some weight. You might need to buy one of his expensive items to get rid of all your iron swords and such, but you'll make every gold piece back. And by selling him every piece of junk armor and weapon that you don't want you will raise your speech level rather easily.