Shopkeepers
Villager-based NPC shops. Players create custom trade shops using villager NPCs with configurable trades and shop types.
EconomyWhat is Shopkeepers?
Shopkeepers creates villager-style trading NPCs that use Minecraft's native trade interface, so players already know how to use them. There are two kinds: admin shops, which trade items out of thin air for server-balanced economies, and player shops, which are backed by a chest the owner stocks and which pay or charge through the connected economy. Shop types include selling, buying, trading and a book shop, and the NPC can be a villager, a mob or a sign. Because it leans on vanilla trading rather than a custom GUI, it is lightweight and intuitive.
Who it's for: Survival and economy servers wanting player-run market stalls or fixed admin shops with a familiar villager-trade feel, without teaching players a new shop interface. It is built and maintained by blablubbabc and sits in the economy category.
Key features of Shopkeepers
- Villager trading NPCs
- Player-owned shops
- Admin shops
- Buying and selling modes
- Custom trade configuration
- Multiple shop types
- Chest-linked inventory
- Sign shops
How to install Shopkeepers
Shopkeepers runs on Bukkit, Spigot or Paper servers. blablubbabc keeps Shopkeepers current with recent Spigot/Paper releases, updating promptly when Mojang changes villager and trading mechanics.
- 1Stop your server, or have it ready to restart. Always back up your world and plugins folder before adding a new plugin.
- 2Download Shopkeepers.jar (a build matching your server version) and place it in your server's /plugins folder.
- 3Shopkeepers has no required dependencies, so it runs on its own once the jar is in place.
- 4Start the server fully. Shopkeepers generates its configuration files on first launch — stop the server, edit them to taste, then start again.
- 5Confirm it loaded by checking the console for Shopkeepers on startup, or by running one of its commands in-game.
Note: Drop Shopkeepers.jar into /plugins and restart. Player shops that handle currency need Vault plus an economy plugin; admin shops and pure item-for-item trades work without an economy. A config.yml is generated where you set whether players can create shops and the shop creation item.
Shopkeepers commands and permissions
Main commands
/shopkeeper- Opens shop creation; held in combination with a chest it creates a player shop, or creates an admin shop for staff.
/shopkeeper list- Lists the shops owned by you or a specified player.
/shopkeeper remove- Removes a shop you own (or any shop, with admin permission).
Permission nodes
shopkeeper.player- Allows players to create their own chest-backed player shops.
shopkeeper.admin- Allows creating admin shops that trade without a backing chest.
shopkeeper.trade- Allows trading with shopkeepers.
Shopkeepers FAQ
What is the difference between an admin shop and a player shop?
An admin shop trades items into and out of existence with no stock limit, ideal for server-controlled prices and is staff-created. A player shop is owned by a player, backed by a chest they fill, and only trades while that chest has stock or space — it is how players run their own stores.
How does a player set up a shop?
Place a chest, stock it, then with the shop creation item (a villager spawn egg by default) right-click the chest and then right-click where the NPC should stand. Right-clicking the NPC as the owner opens the trade editor to set what it buys or sells.
Do I need an economy plugin?
Only for shops that use currency. Player shops that sell items for money, and any buying shop, need Vault and an economy plugin. Pure barter trades (item for item) and admin shops that exchange items work without any economy installed.
Can shopkeepers be mobs instead of villagers?
Yes. The NPC can be set to many entity types, or to a sign shop, in the editor or config. The trade interface itself is always the standard Minecraft trading window regardless of the NPC's appearance.
What happens when a player shop runs out of stock?
Trades that the chest can no longer fulfil are greyed out until the owner restocks. A selling shop stops selling when its chest is empty; a buying shop stops buying when its chest is full. The shop is not deleted — it simply pauses those trades.
Features
- Villager trading NPCs
- Player-owned shops
- Admin shops
- Buying and selling modes
- Custom trade configuration
- Multiple shop types
- Chest-linked inventory
- Sign shops
Commands
/shopkeeper/shopkeeper list/shopkeeper remove/shopkeeper transferPermissions
shopkeeper.playershopkeeper.adminshopkeeper.tradeshopkeeper.remove