1. Almost all classes should look for +life gear in the first 30 char lvls. I use the Store Inventory addon, and record every piece of eq in every shop that adds life, and then I almost always buy enough gear to have 750 life by the time i hit Lake Nur. I only play on Roguelike, so you learn the importance of this. soo you are looking at Eyal, heroic, etc gear.
2. As stated, a torque of psychoportation is crucial for most players, so always check for these.
3. Because infusions and runes scale with level, if you find a high value one in the first few levels, from last hope or angolwen, they can often last you right through to the east, getting up past 500 in strength
4. For archers, the store bought ammo is better than anything you find in 95% times playing. so I always go straight to Zigur (unless undead) and last hope, and find highest ammo, and then save for it. [btw, on nightmare mode, this is essential]. Again, often the ammo bought at shops is the best you find for much of the game.
5. for mages etc, often the staffs in shops are far better than anything you will find in west. except for unique items. but with so many now, so-called 'drop pollution' means finding the randart you want is harder.
6. in many cases, the rings in angolwen are excellent finds.
7. In most runs there is one piece of equipment that is suboptimal (for me, often a cloak) - and shops can be great for this.
but most important of all, if you don't check every shop in every town, and after the restocking, you can miss unique items just sitting there - like Wanderer's Rest for 120 coins!
so don't underestimate shops. play on roguelike, and or nightmare, and you discover you need to get every little advantage you can. at least, that's my experience
