im simply moving what i wrote in a bug post about quality calculations to here instead as it may get feedback and be in a more appropriate location
Now that im thinking about it even more why not have different quality categories of inventory for both mfg and retailers when selling product either to other players or the npc customers.
For mfg you just have listed how much of each quality you have on hand. you dont need every combination listed on their screen only what kind the player personally has on hand so the screen is less cluttered. it would allow them to supply various people with different kinds of goods and price accurately when selling to players and thus make more profits.
For retail its basically the same except you have an addition box next to the amount of a certain quality on hand that would be labeled as price. This way retailers can buy various levels of good and price them all individually so they make more profit. Additionally, it would help keep supplies of retailers high and reduce the likelihood of running out of items to sell by being able to sell what ever would be available for them while simultaneously helping mfg’s sell their inventory faster.