How to Install and Use the ChestShop Plugin

Last modified on Nov 3, 2022 in plugins

By Noah

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Overview

Survival Minecraft players, whether they are builders, miners, or redstone engineers, will all eventually run into the same problem. Sooner or later you will run out of resources for your build or suddenly need an item you haven’t found yet. Chest shops may be the best way to fix this problem. They are a quick and convenient way for players to trade for items instead of grinding away in a mine. The ChestShop plugin takes this idea even further by securing your shops from possible thieves and integrating them with economy plugins such as EssentialsX. Setting up a shop for the first time can be a bit intimidating, that is why in this guide we will walk you through how to install and use the ChestShop plugin on your Apex Hosting server.

Summary

The ChestShop plugin takes the basic concept of a chest shop and expands it to prevent theft and item lag. Players can create physical shops using nothing more than a sign and a chest. These shops can only be altered by the creator or a server admin and rely on economy plugins to handle transactions. This prevents the shops from being damaged or looted by malicious players while you build a bustling shopping district.

Downloading the Plugin

1. Navigate to the ChestShop Spigot page.
   
2. In the top-right, press the blue Download button.
3. Save the file to a safe location for later.
4. Perform the same process with Vault and an economy plugin of your choice.

 
You will receive a file called something like ChestShop.jar. Once this is complete, you are ready to add the jar files to your Minecraft server!

Dependencies

ChestShop requires Vault and some kind of economy plugin to be installed in order to work. The creator of the ChestShop has several recommendations that can be found here. For new server owners, we recommend EssentialsX as it includes a very basic economic system.

Server-Installation

1. Navigate to the Apex Server Panel, then stop the server.
2. Scroll down to the Game File section, then make note of the server version.
   
3. Ensure the version is plugin-compatible, such as PaperMC or Spigot.
4. Afterwards, enter the FTP File Access in the left-hand menu and log in.
5. Locate or create the plugins folder, then enter it.
   
6. Press Upload in the top-left menu, then drag + drop the .jar file(s).
   
7. Once at 100%, return to the main panel page, then restart the server.

How to make a ChestShop in Minecraft

Using the ChestShop plugin is fairly straightforward. Creating a shop can be done by following the steps below:

1. Place a chest where you would like the shop to be located and fill it with the items you want to sell
2. Place a sign on the chest and press the Return key to skip the first line
3. On the second line, type in the number of items you want to sell at a time. In our example, we want to sell 16 carrots at a time, so we put 16 on the second line of the sign.
4. On the third line type the letter B followed by the price you want to set for your items. In our case, we have set their buy price to 14.
5. (optional) After the buy price, type a colon “:” then an S followed by your sell price. This will allow players to sell the item to you. In our example, we have set the selling price to 7
6. Place a question mark ? on the last line of the sign, then close the sign editor.
   

The question mark will change to the name of the item in the chest, and the top line will be filled in with the username of the player that created the shop. Players will be able to start using the shop immediately.

Common Issues

My shop doesn’t do anything when a player clicks on it
This most often happens because there isn’t an economy for the plugin to use. Make sure you have both Vault and some kind of economy plugin like EssentialsX installed on the server.

My server is lagging after placing a shop
Having too many chests on a server at once can cause a lot of lag. Switching to Paper can help resolve a lot of these problems. Our optimization guide was also created specifically for Paper servers experiencing lag.

I am getting an “internal exception” error when I try to use the plugin
This can happen when the plugin isn’t loading correctly. Stop the server from your control panel, then try to reinstall the plugin.

Conclusion

Shops are a popular feature of multiplayer servers. They allow new players to get access to essential resources, and veteran players to skip grinding for hours. They are also a good way to build or expand your server’s economy without having to worry about items being stolen from your shop chests. With the help of this guide and the ChestShop plugin, you are ready to start a merchant empire on your Apex Hosting server.

Helpful Links

How to Install Plugins
Server Optimization Guide
ChestShop Plugin Page
Vault Plugin Page
List of Compatible Economy Plugins