Tradeshops: This guide was written for new players on .NET. So far, I’ve created guides covering the topics of grass and diamonds. Those guides can be found here: Grass Diamonds I am aware that there is /warp tradeshop in-game; however, I intend to go further in depth than the information covered on 6 signs. How does it work? When another player comes to your shop, and they see an item they wish to purchase, if they click the sign –whilst the item they’re trading is in their inventory- the trade is automatic, and the item they paid for is placed into their inventory. In return the item they’re trading is placed in your chest located under the sign. It is important that you keep your shop stocked, as it’s not only annoying for a player to see a trade they want and it to be out of stock, but also your tradeshop will continue to be successful with a stream of happy customers. How do I set up my tradeshop? – Tradeshops can be set up really easily. They don’t have to be fancy, or contain rare items. Anyone can make one! This is the way you set the sign up. On the first row type [Trade]. It doesn’t need to be colour coded with dark green (&2), as it does it automatically, but it still works even if you do. The second line contains the item name and the amount of that item that you are trading. In this example; I am selling 8 saplings for 1 grass. The third line lists the item you want in return for the item you’re selling. In my example, I am requesting that for those 8 saplings I am selling, I want 1 grass in return. Finally, on the last line comes your in-game name. You don’t have to type this into the sign slot, as it is also done automatically. However, it still works even if you do manually put it there. Remember: You cannot make a tradeshop in the name of another player, or remove their shops. Why should I make a tradeshop instead of drop trading? Tradeshops are much safer, and can prevent you from being scammed. Once the player who comes to your shop clicks on the sign, the ‘transaction’ of –for instance- grass is immediate, and the item you’re selling is placed in their inventory in return. Not only does it prevent scams, but it’s clear to see what you’re trading and the item you get in return, which in turn makes a moderator’s job easier. Disadvantages of using a tradeshop: Anything without a vanilla minecraft item code cannot be input into the tradeshop sign. The maximum amount of an item that can be traded is 64 (full stack). There are ways around this, but only for some items. For instance: If you want to sell 2 stacks of redstone, you’d instead have to sell 15 redstone blocks. This method isn’t ideal, as two stacks would be 128 redstone, not 135. On top of this, the above method only works for blockable items. The other way around this issue, is having a different currency for your shop. If you want to trade 128 cobblestone for 1 grass, you could have a separate trade: say 1 grass for 2 pieces of paper. The paper can then be traded elsewhere in your shop for 64 cobblestone each. Again this isn’t ideal, as it takes up extra space and is a ‘long-winded’ method. Where can I set it up? Set up your tradeshop on your own island (this could be on a coop island too). It doesn’t need to have an extravagant building around it, although it looks nice if you do. Remember, your tradeshop is on your own island, which people will have to /visit in order to get there. This means that your island is required to be unlocked (if you don’t have access to /tpahere [playername]). If you don’t wish to have people visiting your island as they please, you could always use an alt’s island, where the only thing built on the island is the tradeshop itself. How do I advertise it? The best way to advertise your tradeshop is in the chat whilst in-game. If you’re a donor25+ you will have access to colours, which will make your messages stand out. Make sure that the word ‘tradeshop’ is clear, so they know what you’re advertising, you could make this a different colour from the rest of the text, or put it in parentheses ‘( )/ [ ]’. As well as making ‘tradeshop’ clear in the advertisement, it’s always advisable to list something unique about your shop. This could be the prices, or even what your shop specialises in. Finally, it’s sensible not to spam your messages. If people see you’re spamming, they are less likely to come to your shop, which in turn makes your shop less successful.
Just so people know, if you are lazy like me, you can just skip the name part and click the create sign, it works for me.
