Protected Discussion

"Hey, I found some power armor. Any Idea what the market price is?"
"What kind?"
"Power Armor"
"About fifty bucks - you know, some ammo, a few days food."
"You're kidding me right? I know its got to be worth a hundred times that at least."
"No positive ID - not worth the effort to retrieve."
"I can tell you exactly where it is off my INS system, and what it is."
"I'll speak slower so you can understand..."
"You want to end up eating that sandwich through a straw?"
"Like that is going to make me any more receptive? Do you have any idea how many types of power armor are around here?"
"Three-"
"Try ten. Some of the other nations tried to help out, and brought their own units. So of course we have Canadian stuff which is tactically similar to our own, but doesn't have compatible parts or software architecture. The Mexican military has both a Forrest optimized type and an underwater hard suit with built in pump-jets for hunting narco-running subs and ambushing people near lakes."
"I'm pretty sure it was American."
"North or South?"
"USA. You're killing me man."
"Three types of combat armor, plus FARPS - Forward Air Resupply Powered System. No actual armor, but over-built hydraulics for moving heavy aircraft components. One load master can push around an entire palatalized load, or clip an 800 pound four-shot anti-tank launcher to a he-lo without help. That's what I did during the war, not that you asked."
"And here you are running a black market off your former army."
"We parted on cold terms. It was an ugly war. In modern combat you got to cut the power to cut the ability So its either EMP or street fighting."
"Did i ask for a history lesson?"
"No, you asked for a summation of the price for a unit of power armor. However if you don't know what type it is, how its used, or if there are spare parts, then its really not worth my time. As for actual prices - they're still lower than you would expect, because the armors are rather limited. MacArthur assault units are heavy, slow, and who has the supply chain to keep the motors, auto-cannons, and missiles on hand? If you're luck, you can get enough spare parts in exchange to get an old car working again, a week or two of supplies, or a few rifles - but money wouldn't be more than a few thousand - a working car is worth more. FARPs have no armor, no armament, no sensors, and a hard to maintain hydraulic system, so while there are plenty out there since they weren't in active combat no one wants them. Donovan stealth uits are hit or miss. They're really useful, but a pain to keep in operating condition and not so good in a stand up fight - I'd say worth the same as the Mac, but more likely to fluctuate in price. A baseline Eisenhower that you can expect a bit more for, but it depends. An old pick-up truck can more, faster, and farther, and outfitted as a technical with some machine-guns is a decent match in firepower. But it doesn't go the same places or have the integrated sensor suite."
"So its simply not worth the trouble I went through?"
"That's the facts son - scavenging can keep yourself supplied, but unless you have a patron commisioning a specific search - its not going to turn a profit."