To Lionheart: yes. According to my experience so far, yes.
There seems to be a bug in the game affecting items passed to another character in the town or in the inn. Here is my hypothesis about the bug:
1. The items passed in the town or in the inn are "unstable" - and they can be lost - until you "stabilize" them by letting the new owner know that he has got a new item and by letting the old owner know that he loses an item.
2. The new owner of the item gets informed about getting a new item when it's YOU who places the item into his inventory.
3. The old owner of the item gets informed about losing an item when it's YOU who takes the item from his inventory.
4. The items are "stabilized" by leaving the town. Perhaps, inventories of all members of the party are checked during leaving the town.
Consequences:
- The old owner is always notified about losing an item - with one exception, see below - because you must take the item from the old owner (the old owner gets informed about losing an item) and pass it to another character. That's why, you can lose items but you cannot gain items.
- As we know, the equipped items are safe. Why? The hypothesis about "stabilizing" items explains why. When you want to equip the item, you must take it (the new owner gets informed about losing an item, perhaps, he haven't known so far that he has owned the item) and equip it (now, the new owner gets informed about the new item and the item becomes "stable").
- The "money generator" in the inn is caused by the same bug. Polling money is trading items (money) behind the scenes. The old owner is unaware of losing the item and the new owner is unaware of gaining the item. Now, if you poll money, remove the old owner from the party, and let him join again, the old owner will have the item (money) again. If you remove the new owner from the party and let him join again, the new owner will lose all money collected so far
