>> Browsing through the PlayerShops, it looks like Shield Use is perfectly willing to create bonus to Bonus the live long day (highest I saw was +15, but a couple of +14 and so on)...

>> ...but if you want Ranks, the highest posted is +4. (That's "four".)

My guess is that the treasure system considers +4 Ranks to be equivalent to +20 bonus (the best case scenario) so I would be surprised to see anything much higher. A +20 Ranks item could potentially produce a +90 bonus which would =is why I suspect you don't see anything along these lines dropping.

This is somewhat supported by the much higher cost to recharge items with Ranks vs. bonus at the adventurers guild.

Robert

>It that just because people don't want to part with the higher ones, or is that pretty much it for what will generate?

https://gswiki.play.net/Enhancive_item_level_requirements#Skill_Ranks shows shield use going to 7 ranks in hardware or 5 ranks in finery but 16 bonus in hardware and 7 bonus in finery so it does look like you are seeing the system limit.

Gear from other sources than "recent" treasure drops does go higher (I have a +11 ranks shield use item), but there won't be anything like as much of it about, and the recharge costs are astronomical so it could be hard to sell anyway.