How to balance purchasing gear?

[RyanW]

I would use the Searching for People rules from Social Engineering. After all, you aren't just looking for a broadsword, you're looking for someone who has one they might be willing to sell. Or someone that would make one to order.

Then, you only need to come up with a bonus/penalty for how common it should be. Maybe a base of +3-(digits in the list price) modified for type/location.