Merchant

Aside from dead enemies Merchants are the primary source of items and equipment in the world of Fallout. Merchants operate out of either fixed stores or traveling caravans.

Fallout and Fallout 2
Most NPCs can be bartered with. In addition, almost all friendly towns have 1 or more merchants with a substantial and replenishing selection of items for sale and a large amount of caps. The general store is the most basic shop and can be found in most settlements. Doctors sell medical supplies and are also present in most towns. Weapons and Armor merchants can be found in larger settlements such as the Hub and San Francisco. In both Fallout 1 and 2, the further south they are the better stocked they tend to be. Shops specializing in other wares can be found.

Traveling merchants can be found traveling the wastes in guarded caravans. They usually sell assorted merchandise but can occasionally offer a unique item.

Fallout 3
In addition to General stores and Medical Doctors most towns also have a food vendor/bartender as well as one person who can repair items. Clothes shops can be found in richer settlements. Rivet City also has dedicated Weapons and Chem dealers.

There are four caravans traveling the DC Wastes. One dedicated to food/chems, another to weapons, another to armor, and the last to junk items. They can be invested in to improve their selection and repair skills but they are vulnerable to attack. In addition to the caravans, Wastelanders can be found who will sell random items. Some special encounters with doctors or chem vendors are also possible. Inventories will scale by level but certain advanced items remain unavailable.