Loot Bug

So my first playing, I think during Blood of Arlathan, I encountered a bug that made it so I couldn't buy anything from merchants. The money would be spent but I would get no items and the only way I could buy anything was if I spent something which you can only do with faction merchants. I also stopped getting items and improvements though chest, the only thing I would get was gold, which was rather annoying but my gear wasn't too bad so I powered through it.

On my second play through now and after first getting to Hossberg I've encountered the bug again but this time I was able to go back to a save where it wasn't there. However, it kept coming back whenever I tried to buy anything from the merchants around Lavendel so I stopped trying to get anything from them. But while exploring it started up again until I skipped the 'Only an Echo' quest where you check on the family. For some reason, even if I don't collect any of the chest you find on that quest, I would get that bug.

I'm on pc and I do have mods but the only one that effects items is one that unlocks all cosmetics for my armor and weapons so I don't think it would cause this.

Update, happened again after doing heart of corruption, got the item in the chest after the quest and now merchants don't like me.

Not loving that this might be a reoccurring bug.