Shops (Services Help)

Shops are the core of Middle-Earth trade. They are conveniently located throughout the world to provide you with an easy form of selling and buying. Most shops are run by a non-player character, but there are other types. A few shops allow you to trade your goods for something you'd rather have, and rumour has it that there are even some shops in need of a manager.

These are the general commands for most shops:

• list - shows you a list of everything that is for sale.
• list <w | weapon | a | armour> - list all weapons or armour for sale.
• list <item> - lists all items of given type, eg. 'list sword'.
• list < 50 - list everything less than 50 gold. Can be combined with the above.
• handle <item> - lets you handle an item to examine it more closely.
• return <item> - return the item you are handling.
• buy <item> - buy an item from the shop.
• sell <item> - sell an item in your inventory.
• sell <item> from <container> - sell an item from a container you have.
• sell <item> except <item> - sell items excluding certain items.
• sell <item> from <container> except <item> - you get the idea.
• value <item> - same format as 'sell'. Tells how much you would get without actually selling the item.

In the above, <item> can be:

• name of an object, like 'sword'.
• 'all', referring to all items you carry / all contents of a container.
• 'all <name>', referring to all objects with given name, for example 'all sword'.
• '<name> <number>', referring to particular item in your inventory/shop, such as 'sword 2' or 'helmet 3'.
• 'it' or 'last handled'; used only for 'buy' command to let you buy the item you've just handled and returned.

Apart from these, some shops may have unique commands. Generally, there will be a sign in those shops that describes how to use the special commands. Some shops support an 'order-by-number' system, where you simply 'buy #' to purchase that item. Such shops are rare, and it is near impossible to run one out of business by buying all its wares.

Certain shops specialize in certain items, such as weapons, armour, musical instruments, etc. This means they may give better prices for such items, or only deal in those types of items. It is a good idea to investigate many shops to find the best places to buy and sell different types of items.