The Best Merchants in Skyrim

Summary

• Glover Mallory in Raven Rock is a top blacksmith and merchant, with a high gold stash of 2,000, perfect for selling weapons and blacksmith items.
• Zaria in Falkreath may not have the best selection, but with 500 gold, she’s a great option for selling merchandise.
• Wuunferth the Unliving in Windhelm is a court wizard with an all-day availability and a small stockpile of 500 gold, making him a convenient option for buying magical items and learning Destruction magic.

With enough gold, anything is possible in Skyrim. After a long adventure, there’s no better feeling than hauling all that junk to the closest merchant and selling it all to afford the best house in all of Skyrim. That is, if the merchant happens to be open at that time and if they even have enough money to buy off everything.

Every player has been there at least once, annoyed by the fact that a merchant runs out of money too fast. In Skyrim, merchants simply aren’t made equally. Some are significantly better than others, whether they’ve elected to set up shop in better locations, have better working hours, or have a tendency to carry more useful stock. The kind of goods that can be sold to the best merchants in Skyrim is also something that should be considered if players want to unload the stuff they have for a ton of gold.

Updated on January 28, 2025, by Gerardo Molina: One of the things that make Skyrim so great, is that there’s a ton of NPC variety. Granted, there are a few bugs here and there and the game is not perfect, since there are some aspects that could use some improvement. However, elements like merchants elevate the experience by allowing players to get the items they need, sell those that they don’t, and hear interesting origin stories about them. Merchants in the land of Skyrim are not restricted to Nords, as there are also Khajiit, Argonians, Dunmer, Bosmer, Imperials, and more. It’s strongly advised that players talk to as many merchants as possible to find valuable items and increase their inventories.

30

Glover Mallory

Raven Rock

Glover Mallory is among the best blacksmiths in the game, and also among the best merchants. However, since he’s exclusive to the Dragonborn DLC, he won’t be the first recommendation for obvious reasons.

As a blacksmith, he only buys and sells limited items, but for players who are fine with that, he’s a great choice due to his unusually high gold stash of 2,000 gold. Because of that alone, he’s perfect for people wanting to sell weapons and other blacksmith items. He can be found in Raven Rock.

There are four different interactions that players can have with Glover Mallory, which include “An Axe to Find”, “Paid in Full”, “It’s All In The Taste”, and “Finishing the Job”. Like other inhabitants of Raven Rock, Glover Mallory is a strong worshipper of the Earth Stone, up to a point where players could guess he’s been indoctrinated far beyond the realms of ordinary faith.

29

Zaria

Grave Concoctions, Falkreath

Zaria is one of the alchemists that players can find in Falkreath. This hold has several merchants, which makes her services pretty forgettable in the grand scheme of things.

However, any merchant with around 500 gold is a great outlet for players to sell their merchandise, and Zaria is certainly quite helpful in that regard. Once this gold is depleted, there’s not really a lot of use for her for the Dragonborn, but that’s fine.

As mentioned earlier, one of the greatest parts about talking to the various merchant NPCs spread across the land of Skyrim, is that players can learn their backstories, which are often related to exile or rejection. Zaria is a great example of this, as she fled to Skyrim when her family did not approve of her choice of becoming an alchemist and her unnatural fixation with poisons and death. This led her to call Falkreath her home, where she seems to feel happy and welcomed by most. On top of this, if players dig deep enough, they can also learn that Zaria used to be a soldier, which makes her character even more interesting.

28

Bolar

Narzulbur

Most people won’t expect an apothecary to be loaded with gold, which is what makes Bolar so valuable in an orc stronghold where players may find it hard to dispose of their loot. 500 gold may not be a lot, but beggars can’t be choosers.

She is the oldest member of the settlement and is considered to be the wisest by many. As a result, she believes in spiritual healing and carries around many herbs and concoctions that players can purchase.

27

Nurelion

White Phial, Windhelm

Nurelion and his assistant, Quintus Navale, run The White Phial in Windhelm. It’s a pretty reputed alchemical shop in the area that the Dragonborn should definitely go to if they want to stock up on potions or just have some unwanted decoctions that they want to offload.

Regardless, Nurelion and his assistant will be great in this regard. Both characters have 500 gold, letting players sell and buy whatever they please without worrying too much about making their funds run out in the process. Nurelion offers players two different interactions, including “Finding the Phial”, and “Repairing the Phial”. He can also be a pickpocket target if Devin Mallory employs the Dragonborn to steal a ruby from him. While this can be profitable and interesting, it has dire consequences, as Nurelion will retaliate by sending hired thugs after the Dragonborn to teach them a lesson.

26

Wuunferth The Unliving

The Palace Of The King, Windhelm

An elderly mage who serves as the court wizard, Wuunferth has several interesting items that are bound to entice anyone who is interested in the magic system of Skyrim. The best part about this merchant is that he’s available throughout the day, meaning that players don’t have to worry about the time of day when interacting with him.

He can also teach Destruction magic up to the level of an Adept, which is bound to be useful for mages who don’t want to be stuck on the learning curve for too long. His stockpile of gold may not be massive, but his magical items and teachings more than makeup for this minor drawback.

During the quest “Blood on the Ice”, players can confront Wuunferth as being the possible Butcher, which he quickly denies by saying that necromancy has always been forbidden in the College of Winterhold. However, upon further questioning, he backtracks and specifies that this practice was actually never forbidden per se. He also has a very funny reaction when players summon an Atronach in his presence, which is something everyone must try at least once.

25

Aval Atheron’s Stall

Windhelm’s Marketplace

Windhelm is one of the most populated settlements in the entire game and one that the Dragonborn will be frequenting quite often. The marketplace is crowded all the time, and players will find several merchants worth interacting with here, one of whom is called Aval Atheron.

For a stall that only deals in food, it’s genuinely impressive to see that Aval Atheron has a decent stockpile of 750 gold to spare. Some shrewd deals will ensure that players will be able to gather a small fortune by dealing with this seemingly humble merchant.

24

Falas Selvayn

Ramshackle Trading Post

Fals Selvayn is included in the Dragonborn DLC, found at the Ramshackle Trading Post. He’s a bit of a unique merchant, active from midnight to 6 a.m. As a general merchant, he’ll buy and sell a bit of everything but is best known for selling the unique Glass Bow of the Stag Prince.

He starts with 750 gold, which is a classic amount and ideal for some small, quick trading here and there. This solidifies his status as one of Skyrim‘s best merchants and someone who is well worth seeking out.

23

Endarie And Taarie

The Radiant Raiment, Solitude

Selling jewelry can be difficult since a single gemstone can fetch a decent price. In Solitude, luckily, there’s a dedicated place where Endarie and Taarie will buy any of the player’s many precious stones. The Radiant Raiment is located on the right, right after the execution block in the city.

The shop is open at regular hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Considering this is a specialized store, it’s impressive that Endarie and Taarie have a total of 750 gold to buy. With the general goods store around as well, this is a great place to first get rid of any gemstones before selling the rest at Sayma’s place.

22

Sayma

Bits And Pieces, Solitude

Sayma is the shopkeeper of Bits and Pieces, Solitude’s go-to general goods store. General goods merchants will buy and sell practically anything, making them an important part of the game. That being said, they have a limited buying power of 750 gold.

Sayma is one of the best general goods merchants due to Radiant Raiment being around, as well as being in a major city in Skyrim. It’s an easy stop to make, open at the regular hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

21

Revyn Sadri

Sadri’s Used Wares, Windhelm

Windhelm is a fantastic city when it comes to merchants. On top of Niranye being a general goods merchant found at the Windhelm marketplace, and her having 750 gold to buy with, there’s also Revyn’s Sadri over at Sadri’s Used Wares.

He also has about 750 gold to buy with and he’s considered a general merchant. That means the city effectively has two general merchants, on top of a blacksmith. Revyn and Niranye are the best to go to if the player has a ton of junk to get rid of.

20

Lucan Valerius

Riverwood Trader, Riverwood

A great merchant isn’t just determined by his amount of gold. Sometimes, a great location is key when getting customers. Riverwood has one of the more central locations in the province and is the earliest town the player visits after Helgen if they choose to follow the main story.

Most towns lack a general good merchant, but Riverwood is very well established. Riverwood Trader, owned by Lucan Valerius, is a perfect spot to stop to sell any junk or loot for some profit. Like any general goods merchant, he has 750 gold to buy with.

19

Belethor

Belethor’s General Goods, Whiterun

The best of all general goods merchants is without a doubt Belethor. Whiterun is a city most players will come to visit time and time again, thanks to the main quest and the variety of side quests that will lead back to the city.

This is why Belethor is so important. His central location makes him easy to visit, even if he only has the typical 750 gold to trade with. However, his shop faces the Whiterun marketplace, where players can continue to make trades after his out of money, though with less flexibility.

18

Elrindir

The Drunken Huntsman, Whiterun

The central location of Whiterun makes it one of the best places to go and trade things. However, many often overlook The Drunken Huntsman tavern and prioritize The Bannered Mare. Next time, make sure to drop by this location and speak with Elrindir, the shop owner.

Since the place is a tavern, it’s open at all times, which makes trading with Elrindir very convenient. He’s available all day and has 750 gold on him. It’s not ideal, but his location and flexible times make up for not having 1,000 gold on him. He specializes in hunting gear in particular.

17

Ronthil

Castle Volkihar

The Dawnguard expansion is easily one of the best expansions for Skyrim, letting the Dragonborn mess around with the act of being a vampire while also engaging in a questline that is pretty high-stakes and lets them tackle a wealth of powerful enemies. One of the many merchants introduced in this expansion is Rothil, who has a decent amount of gold on him and deals in general goods.

He’s a convenient merchant that players can find in Castle Volkihar if they want to offload certain valuables. To make things better, he’s also an expert Speech trainer, letting players earn gold from him before using said funds to enhance what many people consider to be one of the most valuable skills in Skyrim. All these facts make it clear why Ronthil is one of the best merchants in Skyrim whom players will revisit time and time again.

16

Lod

Falkreath

During a player’s adventures in Skyrim, they’ll find themselves harboring a ton of useless weapons and armor that weigh quite a lot and fetch a pretty penny. The only reason why players won’t loot everything in sight is that their eagerness can lead to the Dragonborn being encumbered in no time. This makes it important to source as many blacksmiths in the game who can take these weighty items off the player’s hands.

Of course, it’s a bonus if said blacksmith also has a decent amount of funds so that players can offload as much of this useless equipment as possible, and Lod is perfect in this regard. Players who happen to be near Falkreath can head to the blacksmith and reduce the Dragonborn’s load while earning a pretty penny in the process, which makes him one of the best merchants in Skyrim players can find in their travels.

15

Rustleif

Dawnstar

It should be no secret at this point that blacksmiths are some of the best merchants in Skyrim that players can find. The last thing any player wants is to be burdened with useless equipment when they have some of the most powerful weapons and armor around that are way more optimized to deal with the many hostile threats present in these Nordic lands.

If players happen to be near the city of Dawnstar and are on the verge of being encumbered, then the first person they should interact with is the city blacksmith, Rustleif. With 1000 gold, players can enrich their coffers even more while getting rid of any equipment that is weighing them down.

14

Milore Ienth

Raven Rock

Apothecaries are tricky to deal with in Skyrim. Despite boasting a decent amount of gold, it can still be challenging to sell a decent amount of goods to these merchants, given how they only accept potions and herbs in the majority of instances. However, this doesn’t mean that these merchants are completely useless — in fact, they become pretty valuable once players realize the benefits brought about by these kinds of merchants.

During a player’s adventures in Skyrim, they’ll realize that a substantial amount of loot they find in the game are various alchemical decoctions that end up weighing quite a bit if players hoard them incessantly. Selling some of the more useless potions off to merchants is the best way to earn a lot of gold while reducing the burden the Dragonborn has to carry. If players are in Raven Rock, then a great apothecary that players can interact with is Milore Ienth. She always has a decent stash of gold that players can acquire if they sell enough potions.

13

Elynea Mothren

Tel Mithryn

It’s amazing to see just how loaded some of the apothecaries are in the game. Perhaps this is accurate, given how the lack of any modern medicine means that most people rely on potions and cures from these specialists to overcome diseases and quell pain. In Tel Mithryn, players can find an apothecary who has a ton of gold for players to take as long as they have the goods to spare.

There’s no point in holding useless magical potions anyway, so selling as many of them as possible is a great way for players to make the Dragonborn as rich as possible in no time. Even 1000 gold seems less once players explore the world and are taken off-guard by the sheer amount of valuable loot they can find in the game with just a few seconds of exploration.

12

Neloth, A Mage Merchant

Tel Mithryn

If players are the proud owners of the Dragonborn DLC, one of the coolest and most flexible merchants is Neloth, the arrogant mage found in Tel Mithryn. He specializes mostly in magic-related things when it comes to his inventory, but what’s particularly cool is that he has a ton of gold.

Neloth has 1,000 gold, which is well above the average amount that most merchants have. Moreover, for anyone traveling in Solstheim, it’s a nice location to return to despite being on the extreme southwestern corner of the map. It’s well worth the trek, though.

11

Beirand, The Blacksmith

Solitude

Solitude is one of the major cities in Skyrim, and as such, it’s likely players will spend quite a bit of time here or around the city doing various quests or just adventuring. Plus, it has the best house in the game, so knowing the city is a big advantage.

Beirand is easily the best merchant in the city. As a blacksmith, he’s subject to opening hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., but his purse makes up for it. He has 1,000 gold with him, so returning here from a long quest nearby is the best possible choice to make.