Is it different from a “shop”? That is, is it a specific place where arbitrage trading takes place, but different from where one would go to get a backpack and a 10-foot pole?
I envision a market as a crowded place where people do their shopping, but if that’s different than an “arbitrage market”, what does an “arbitrage market” look like, and where would it be held, and how would they enforce the toll?
If it’s the same, do I have to pay the toll to be able to shop for some rations and a bundle of torches?
I’m basically a little fuzzy on where “arbitrage” meets “shopping”.
Market (as in “this town is a class V market”) is an abstract representation of the supply and demand that exists in the area, not necessarily an actual place.
Tolls (as noted in the book) are a way to abstract out taxes/tolls/fees/etc and only come into play when you’re buying items in a quantity expressed in loads. In other words, if you buy a beer, there’s no need to pay. If you buy ten barrels of beer, you’re going to be paying taxes, and someone to load them onto your wagon, and all sorts of other miscellaneous costs.
Ah. The reference to a Market as something that can be “snuck into” (to avoid paying tolls each time you “enter”), said to me “physical place with borders and a bouncer”.
Going back and re-reading it in this light, I can see it now more as avoiding being seen with carts and crates and barrels full of goods waiting to be taxed.
Thanks.