1. Play on the ImDeity Minecraft Multiplayer server -- Goto the "Multiplayer" section of Minecraft and type "mc.imdeity.com" to join!
    Dismiss Notice

A Complete Guide To Shops

Discussion in 'Help / Support / Guides' started by BitOfAle, March 18, 2013.

?

Was this information helpfull or new in any way?

  1. I learned or was helped by something in this thread.

    23 vote(s)
    82.1%
  2. This information was not helpful at all,

    5 vote(s)
    17.9%
  1. BitOfAle

    BitOfAle

    • Diamond
    Joined:
    December 13, 2012
    Messages:
    188
    Likes Received:
    545
    Trophy Points:
    458
    In-Game Name:
    BitOfAle
    Hello I am BitOfAle and as many of you already know I own a successful shop. A few players have asked me how I got so high up on the /mall top list so fast and even asked me for my advice. I find this surprising because I'm still fairly new to the whole shops thing. Anyway, to those of you that are thinking of getting a shop on the upcoming auction, or even some veterans that want some extra advice. This is a guide from which you can gather information on how to get ready for auctions, how to run a shop, and other bits of advice I have.​
    I guess the first question I should address is one people have to ask themselves before an auction. "How do i get all the money to buy a shop??" The issue with getting the money for a shop auction is one that often discourages people. This first part of my guide is devoted to this part of the shop process so if you already have a shop, skip ahead to paragraph [Owning a shop].​
    Digging right in, there are two main ways to get the 20-ish thousand Dei needed in order to get a decent shop.
    • The first is freelancing your way there, this requires hard diligent and organized work. This option is meant for the people that have a lot of time to spare and mine heavily.To start off your business get boatloads of supplies, anything from common cobble to glow-stone and pack up on it. A mining schedule is a good way to keep on top of your stock, and remember that the over-world has tradable things to. After gathering your starting materials its time to advertise, post a thread in the trade forum or alert townies in game. Gather buyers and they'll tell others if you are good. Another good way of finding buyers is stalking the /trade channel, if someone needs an item message them quickly and get the needed item to them as soon as possible to make the buyer like you. A last thing to remember is taking the money first, then giving the item, getting scammed is not a good feeling.
    • The second option you have that gets you money quick is becoming a supplier. I highly suggest doing this since I did it myself for my first month of selling things. The number one thing needed for this is a shop that has steady income, sales, and prices for both buying and selling. Once you have found a shop that meets the specifications it is strongly recommended that you talk with him/her daily. Build a relationship with the shop owner and get anything he asks of you. Focus on popular items such as sandstone, logs, or coal. Some shop-keeps like myself give out bonuses every few supplies and discounts on items, so being a supplier is a good starting point. The last thing people need to know about this option is how to play the market. Look around the shops, if one sis selling say stone for 8 and another is buying for 8.5, buy out shop A and sell it to shop B. This method gets you some cash quick with virtually no work.
    Once you get enough money to get a decent shop at auction time you can say goodbye to all the hard work.​
    [Owning a shop]
    Okay so you've got a shop, now what? Well the first thing you need to learn is how to use the sign system. First place a chest where you want it to be and get a sign, crouch and right click the chest and it will appear on it. Now the sign just needs to be filled out. The order goes like this.​
    BitOfAle
    64
    B 10 : S 8
    Stone
    The first row is your name, second is amount buying or selling at a time, third is buy and sell price and fourth is the item name.​
    Having mastered the sign system we are now moving on to the basic things you need to know about owning a shop.​
    1. The price of something depends on supply, demand and competition. Find out how fast you can get an item and how much of it. Next see who wants it an toy with the prices to get maximum profit. Finally check out the surrounding shops and see who has prices that are cheaper than yours, Keep these three things in mind while setting up a price.
    2. The 2nd basic essential piece of information is to play the shops, there are a few ways to do this. If you have a bit of spare money you can buy out a certain item from a lot of shops and raise your price a little. This will make it seem as though it is more rare and people will buy from you more. This also lets you control prices. If a shop owner does not have stock, he cannot make money or sales. Another way to play the market is to have friends in high places and get them to buy someone out consistently to make hem scramble for materials meanwhile losing customers.
    3. The 3rd piece of essential information is how to balance your buy and sell prices. Always remember that any sale you make is taxed by 8%. This means that if you sell 100 Dei worth of an item you will only make 92. So do the math, buy and sell prices should be separated by a thin layer or profit. This style of selling will earn you long term buyers and make you money that is consistent. An example of this is.
    BitOfAle
    64
    B 10 : S 8
    Stone
    If you sell one stack of stone you make 10 Dei right? Wrong. With the tax you only make 9.2, and if you bought it from someone you have to do 9.2-8 which is 1.2. the profit of a stack of stone bought from someone else and sold along with tax is 1.2. Seems like a lot of work for so little profit huh. Well yes but that little profit gets you big time buyers in the log run and that equals money.​
    The last part of this thread is some tips and things you should or should not do.
    • Don't undercut prices unless you have a lot of stock! This may seem like a surefire way to get money but it doesn't last. Buyers will lose interest after the stock is out and leave.
    • Always check other shops prices! Be informed about the highs and lows of items.
    • Never have a full chest open for people to sell to you, at least not until you can afford it. Put single pieces of cobble in to fill up undesired space.
    • Don't overstock on an item you are unsure of, prices can turn on a dime so make sure to get rid of extra. You never want to log in and find that you can't make a profit on an item.
    • Make sure you have at least one or two suppliers on hand at all times, they just might save you when your out of stock.
    • Control the market by buying out an item or selling chest fulls to shops to lower or raise the prices to where you want them to be.
    • Have an emergency fund of a bout 20k for bulk sales or quick resupplies on popular or costly items.
    This is all the knowledge I have of being a shop owner except for a few tricks I keep to myself to remain top shop. I'm sure that if you follow this guide you'll make it just fine as a merchant. If anybody wants to give me advice leave it on this thread or start a convorsation, same goes for anybody that wants to supply me.​
    Special thanks to Barryx15, for starting me on my career as a merchant. The_Yogs, for believing in me. And all the Doha Teamspeak users that made my ImDeity experience so much fun.​
    So long Minecraftians, I applaud those of you that read all this information. Ale, out.​
     
  2. DeadShotm1

    DeadShotm1

    • Vip
    Joined:
    February 2, 2013
    Messages:
    257
    Likes Received:
    197
    Trophy Points:
    248
    In-Game Name:
    DeadShotm1
    Wow, Ale, I had no idea you were planning this. This is awesome and REALLY helpful as a reference. Luckily, I have the best guide to shop-owning on Teamspeak with me everyday! ;)
     
    DoCharlieBrown likes this.
  3. pierzynski

    pierzynski

    • Diamond
    Joined:
    January 25, 2013
    Messages:
    378
    Likes Received:
    42
    Trophy Points:
    273
    In-Game Name:
    pierzynski
    Nice! If only there was a shop auction......
     
  4. Vershye

    Vershye

    • Senior Moderator
    • Diamond
    Joined:
    September 26, 2011
    Messages:
    3,311
    Likes Received:
    3,028
    Trophy Points:
    718
    In-Game Name:
    Vershye
    Two things, since I only glanced over it.

    1. I'm moving this to the help section as that's where it belongs.
    2. Change the Buy/Sell to B # : S #. Having the # directly after the : is what got one of the shop owners in trouble already.
     
    BarryX15 likes this.
  5. DeadShotm1

    DeadShotm1

    • Vip
    Joined:
    February 2, 2013
    Messages:
    257
    Likes Received:
    197
    Trophy Points:
    248
    In-Game Name:
    DeadShotm1
    Don't worry, it's going to be soon. I thought you were going to make a town soon, though.
     
  6. Leviathan_Ziz

    Leviathan_Ziz

    • Gold
    Joined:
    May 3, 2011
    Messages:
    10,069
    Likes Received:
    2,548
    Trophy Points:
    758
    In-Game Name:
    Leviathan_Ziz
    Polls with 2 questions and 2 answers, lovely :p...

    It should be like this: "Was this guide new and or helpfull?"

    "New yes, helpfull no"
    "New no, helpfull no"
    "New yes, helpfull yes"
    "New no, helpfull yes"

    Not a bad thread at all.
     
  7. Brytton

    Brytton

    • Vip
    Joined:
    February 12, 2012
    Messages:
    192
    Likes Received:
    229
    Trophy Points:
    198
    In-Game Name:
    bryttonmp5
    Great thread bitofale

    I highly recommend that shop owners look at this thread and listen to it. Let it "speak" to you.

    In all reality there is no reason why any one of us shop owners cannot have a piece of the pie. There are many items that can be bought/sold. If you sell items no one else has effectively you have a control of the market. If you learn to stay at about the same prices as others then you both succeed. If you decide to sell lower then well you screw other shop owners (Probably not a good idea if they have more money than you) and you sell out really fast (as bit said earlier)

    My suggestion: Sell items that no one else is carrying. Avoid high ticket items (unless you use some tricks bit told of) Stop undercutting the market your only hurting yourself.

    Oh, one last thing the biggest reason for lost shop owners to bans are duping. So don't do that.
     
    BitOfAle likes this.
  8. Arwenden

    Arwenden

    • Senior Moderator
    Joined:
    October 22, 2011
    Messages:
    1,328
    Likes Received:
    2,328
    Trophy Points:
    673
    In-Game Name:
    Arwenden
    BitOfAle likes this.
  9. BitOfAle

    BitOfAle

    • Diamond
    Joined:
    December 13, 2012
    Messages:
    188
    Likes Received:
    545
    Trophy Points:
    458
    In-Game Name:
    BitOfAle
  10. Dragonslayer314

    Dragonslayer314

    Joined:
    February 21, 2013
    Messages:
    774
    Likes Received:
    338
    Trophy Points:
    393
    In-Game Name:
    Dragonslayer314
    1 thing I want to add - before the update, if you tried to sell to a chest that was full, it would tell you it was full whether or not you had the item to sell. Now that is no longer the case. So, if you decide to be a supplier and play the market, then you have to remember that chests will fill up, so don't invest too heavily in, say. buying stone to sell to a shop if someone is selling it for cheap, as if the chests are full, then you now have much more stone than you need and have less money than you had before as well.
    So in the example, I wouldn't necessarily buy OUT Guy A, I would be careful and do one or a few groups at a time.
    Also, if you're a supplier, you can still find better deals! For example, I often supply BitOfAle with stone, but KevTrain buys it for 14 per stack, so if his chest isn't full, I sell some there first to make some extra money (Sorry :p)
    Another easy way to use the mall is to buy coal and, say, sand. Make a huge array of furnaces, and smelt things in bulk. You can sell these for quite a large profit in many shops. A lot of shops sell sand and many sell coal as well. Get a good deal on those and then you can easily make a glass production "factory" which you can use to get a significant amount of money.
    EDIT: 1 more thing - make sure you buy things as well as selling! If people come to you to sell things, they're more likely to come to your shop more often and thus to buy more of your stuff to get you more money!
     
  11. oli_cool31

    oli_cool31

    Joined:
    June 3, 2013
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    9
    Trophy Points:
    73
    In-Game Name:
    oli_cool31
    Thanks you for your nice guide :)
    oli_cool31
     
  12. legoazurp

    legoazurp

    • Vip
    Joined:
    December 15, 2011
    Messages:
    874
    Likes Received:
    593
    Trophy Points:
    498
    In-Game Name:
    LEGOAP
    You should include a list of items that always sell at shops, like wood, sandstone, iron and more.
     
  13. Musician10

    Musician10

    • Vip
    Joined:
    April 20, 2013
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    66
    Trophy Points:
    173
    In-Game Name:
    Musician10
    Ok, so I just got a shop and am having trouble with yes the signs. I put a chest down then filled out the sign how this guide says to, but when I hit down it says "The shop can not be used it might lack a chest" any ideas? Thanks.
     
  14. melvin484

    melvin484

    Joined:
    April 24, 2013
    Messages:
    1,089
    Likes Received:
    763
    Trophy Points:
    243
    In-Game Name:
    TwitchyCake
    One: Skip the first line, your name will appear auto.
    TWO: Get the item and do /iteminfo to check the actual ID. Enter that on sign for it to work.
     
  15. Majora_Unmasked

    Majora_Unmasked

    • Gold
    Joined:
    July 2, 2012
    Messages:
    3,648
    Likes Received:
    2,743
    Trophy Points:
    568
    In-Game Name:
    aCrowLookedAtMe
    Also, if you follow Melvin's advice and just do the item ID, I would put an item frame with the item in it so people know what they're buying.
     
  16. melvin484

    melvin484

    Joined:
    April 24, 2013
    Messages:
    1,089
    Likes Received:
    763
    Trophy Points:
    243
    In-Game Name:
    TwitchyCake
    Yeah, thats a good idea also.
     
  17. Dragonslayer314

    Dragonslayer314

    Joined:
    February 21, 2013
    Messages:
    774
    Likes Received:
    338
    Trophy Points:
    393
    In-Game Name:
    Dragonslayer314
    Well, /iteminfo doesn't just give you the number, it also gives you the proper ChestShop name (except with enchanted tools). For example, if you do /iteminfo on netherwart, it will tell you to enter "Nether Stalk" which is the only name that ChestShop will accept. Also, it's always a good idea to have item frames regardless.
     
    Majora_Unmasked likes this.
  18. Musician10

    Musician10

    • Vip
    Joined:
    April 20, 2013
    Messages:
    139
    Likes Received:
    66
    Trophy Points:
    173
    In-Game Name:
    Musician10
    Thanks I will try that out now! But where do I put the item id on the sign?
     
  19. melvin484

    melvin484

    Joined:
    April 24, 2013
    Messages:
    1,089
    Likes Received:
    763
    Trophy Points:
    243
    In-Game Name:
    TwitchyCake
    The bottom.
     
  20. Majora_Unmasked

    Majora_Unmasked

    • Gold
    Joined:
    July 2, 2012
    Messages:
    3,648
    Likes Received:
    2,743
    Trophy Points:
    568
    In-Game Name:
    aCrowLookedAtMe
    Yeah, notice in BitOfAle's example in the main post, on the bottom he has the item name "Stone". If you had to go by ID, you could just put "01" or even "1".
    Don't quote me on that last bit though, I haven't had much experience with shop signs xD
     

Share This Page