Asks how paper may be sold (8)
I believe the answer is:
inquires
'asks' is the definition.
('inquire' can be a synonym of 'ask')
'paper may be sold' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'paper' could be 'quires' (quire refers to a large amount of paper) and 'quires' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'in' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'how' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for inquires that I've seen is " Asks".)