Merchant

Merchant

Map Icon

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	NPC
Environment	Valid house Surface Forest
AI Type	Passive AI
Damage	121821 (Throwing Knife)
Max Life	250
Defense	15
KB Resist	50%

Sounds

Hurt
Killed

• Internal NPC ID: 17

This article is about the early game NPC unlocked by having 50 or more. For the NPC that occasionally visits temporarily with a random inventory, see Traveling Merchant. For the Underground skeleton-like NPC, see Skeleton Merchant. For the Old Chinese version-exclusive NPC, see Star Merchant.

The Merchant is an NPC vendor that will spawn once the following conditions have been met:

• There is an empty House.
• All players in the game world have more than 50 between them in their inventories.

He will also spawn as the starter NPC instead of the Guide when the world seed is "not the bees!" or "not the bees".

Note that only coins in the main inventory or coin slots are counted; savings stored in a portable storage item like the Piggy Bank do not count toward the requirement. If the Merchant is killed, he will only respawn if the above conditions are met again. This means all players need to have over 50 in their combined inventories.

Merchant walking.

Walk cycle

On the  PC version,  Console version,  Mobile version,  Old Chinese version,  tModLoader version, and  tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, the Merchant will lob Throwing Knives at nearby enemies to defend himself, dealing 12 / 18 / 21 damage at the start of the game, and as players progress he will gain various stat increases.

Items sold

Note: All item prices can be decreased by equipping a Discount Card or Greedy Ring. On the  PC version,  Console version,  Mobile version, and  tModLoader version, prices can also be higher or lower based on the NPC's happiness level.

Inventory

Item	Cost	Availability
Mining Helmet	4 8	Always available.
Piggy Bank	1	Always available.
Iron Anvil	50	Always available.
Bug Net	25 1	Always available.
Copper Pickaxe	5	Always available.
Copper Axe	4	Always available.
Torch	50	Always available.
Lesser Healing Potion	3	Always available.
Lesser Mana Potion	1	Always available.
Wooden Arrow	5	Always available.
Shuriken	15	Always available.
Rope	10	Always available.
Marshmallow	1	When spoken to in a Snow biome.
Furnace	3	When spoken to in a Jungle.
Pin Wheel	20	During a Windy Day.
Throwing Knife	50	During a Blood Moon.
Glowstick	10	During night.
Sharpening Station	10	In Hardmode .
Any Pylon	10	When in a specific biome and is happy enough.
Safe	20	When Skeletron has been defeated.
Disco Ball	1	In Hardmode.
Flare	7	When the player carries a Flare Gun in their inventory.
Blue Flare	7	When the player carries a Flare Gun in their inventory.
Sickle	60	Always available. During Halloween.
Gold Dust	17	In Hardmode.
Drum Set	10	When either the Eater of Worlds, Brain of Cthulhu, Skeletron, or Wall of Flesh have been defeated.
Drumstick	50	When either the Eater of Worlds, Brain of Cthulhu, Skeletron, or Wall of Flesh have been defeated.
Nail	1	When the player possesses a Nail Gun.
Tax Collector's Hat	3	During Halloween.
Tax Collector's Suit	3	During Halloween.
Tax Collector's Pants	3	During Halloween.
Valentine Ring	1	During Valentine's Day.
Wiesnbräu	995	During Oktoberfest.
Turkey feather	10	During Thanksgiving.
Heart Arrow	50	During Valentine's Day.
Festive top hat	1	During Christmas.

Living preferences

	Biome	Neighbor
Loves	n/a	n/a
Likes	​Forest	​Princess ​Golfer ​Nurse
Dislikes	​Desert	​Tax Collector
Hates	n/a	​Angler

For more information, see NPC happiness.

Shimmered form

Shimmered Merchant and his Map Icon.

When submerged in Shimmer, the Merchant will transform into his Shimmered form. This has no impact on gameplay or dialogue and is only a visual change. He can be returned to his classic look by submerging him in Shimmer again.

Tips

• The Merchant's quote "I feel like an evil presence is watching me." can be used to tell if the Eye of Cthulhu's natural spawn requirements are met.
• Simply having coins researched in the Journey mode menu does not meet the requirements for the Merchant to move in, the coins must be in your inventory.
• Note: There is sometimes a bug where duping coins in Journey Mode before you get the 50 silver requirement can cause the merchant to not spawn, to fix this, simply collect 50 silver by killing enemies or breaking pots.

Names

The Merchant may have any of the following names:

• Alfred
• Barney
• Calvin
• Edmund
• Edwin
• Eugene
• Finn
• Frank
• Frederick
• Gilbert
• Gus
• Harold
• Howard
• Humphrey
• Isaac
• Joseph
• Kristian
• Louis
• Milton
• Mortimer
• Ralph
• Seymour
• Walter
• Wilbur

• Additional names have been added to the Xbox One version. Those names include Steve, Logan, and Jason.

Quotes

Interaction quotes

Morning: "Sword beats paper! Get one today." "You want apples? You want carrots? You want pineapples? We got torches." "Lovely morning, wouldn't you say? Was there something you needed?" Afternoon: "Check out my dirt blocks; they are extra dirty." "Boy, that sun is hot! I do have some perfectly ventilated armor." "The sun is high, but my prices are not." Evening: "Night will be upon us soon, friend. Make your choices while you can." "You have no idea how much Dirt Blocks sell for overseas." "Ah, they will tell tales of <name of player> some day... good ones I'm sure." Beginning of night: "Kosh, kapleck Mog. Oh sorry, that's klingon for 'Buy something or die.'" "<Name of player> is it? I've heard good things, friend!" Midnight: "The last guy who was here left me some junk... er I mean... treasures!" "I wonder if the moon is made of cheese...huh, what? Oh yes, buy something!" "Did you say gold? I'll take that off of ya." End of night: "I hear there's a secret treasure... oh never mind." "Angel Statue you say? I'm sorry, I'm not a junk dealer." Blood Moon: "Have you seen Chith...Shith.. Chat... The big eye?" (An obvious reference to the Eye of Cthulhu) "Hey, this house is secure, right? Right? <Name of player>?" "Not even a Blood Moon can stop capitalism. Let's do some business." "Keep your eye on the prize, buy a lens!" When Nurse and Mechanic are present: "Oh, great. I can hear <name of Mechanic> and <name of Nurse> arguing from here." When Eye of Cthulhu has not been defeated: "I hope a scrawny kid like you isn't all that is standing between us and Cthulhu's Eye." "Look at that shoddy armor you're wearing. Better buy some more healing potions." "I feel like an evil presence is watching me." (When the natural requirements for Eye of Cthulhu to spawn are acquired.) During a Party: "You know what would be the best way to party? Buying things for others, specifically from me." During Rain: "Umbrellas! Umbrellas! Get your half-off umbrellas!" "How dreary! Lighten the mood with 99 torches!" During a thunderstorm: "Wanna buy a lightning rod? Oh, seems I'm out of stock." "Storms rollin' in... how 'bout you come in and buy something?" During a Windy Day: "What a blustery day! Stay awhile, and buy a thing or two." "I used slime glue to keep my hat from blowing away! Perhaps I can sell you some for a couple gold coins..." When in a Graveyard: "This eerie atmosphere is bad for business!" "This is a terrible location... I can't sell my wares to the dead!"

Happiness quotes

When homeless: "I don't have a place to set up shop, friend." When far from home: "Boy, I need to make my way back to my merchandise!" When in a sparse area: "This is nice, lots of privacy to store my wares." When overcrowded: "The number of neighbors has me a little unsettled." "I hate how many people hang around, but none of them buy anything!" When in the Forest: "I like the scenery in Forest, a good view attracts customers!" When in the Desert: "Hmm, the Desert is a terrible place for business, I don't like it.." When in an Evil Biome or the Dungeon: "I don't think I can sell goods to monsters in <the Corruption/Crimson/Dungeon>!" When near the Princess: "<Name of Princess> could buy out my whole shop! Pleasant to talk to, as well." When near the Golfer: "<Name of Golfer> makes loads of money, I like deep pockets." When near the Nurse: "<name> the Nurse makes loads of money, I like deep pockets." When near the Tax Collector: "I dislike <Name of Tax Collector>, too frugal and doesn't ever buy my things." When near the Angler: "I hate <name> the Angler's terrible personality!" When neutral: "I'm feeling successful! Want to buy something?"

Trivia

• The Merchant sells Furnaces in the Jungle due to the fact that Stone Blocks necessary to their construction do not appear in the Not The Bees! World Seed.
• The Merchant's inability to pronounce "Cthulhu" during a Blood Moon is reference to the fact that the American author H. P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu's creator, intended for the name to be impossible to pronounce. However, the Merchant is able to pronounce the name correctly in another of his quotes ("I hope a scrawny kid like you isn't all that is standing between us and Cthulhu's Eye.")
• At the beginning of the night, the Merchant may say "Kosh, kapleck Mog. Oh sorry, that's klingon for 'Buy something or die.'", although Buy something or die is actually translated as vay' Daje'be'chugh vaj bIHegh in the Klingon language. Kosh, kapleck Mog does not mean anything in Klingon.
• The Merchant is depicted in the paintings "The Merchant" and "Father of Someone".
  • Because of being depicted in "Father of Someone", he seems to have an offspring.
• On rare occasions, the Merchant and the Clothier can share the names "Alfred" or "Edmund".
• The Merchant's quote "I hope a scrawny kid like you isn't all that is standing between us and Cthulhu's Eye." is also used by another NPC, the unspawnable Mc MoneyPants.
• The Merchant seems to be greedy, judging by various quotes, such as "Did you say gold? I'll take that off of ya." and also dislikes the Tax Collector who refuses to buy anything.
• He makes several quotes referencing things he does not sell, such as armour and umbrellas. In addition, despite claiming they sell for a lot overseas, he gives no money for Dirt Blocks.
• His dialogue about buying 99 torches references how before the 1.4 update, Torches only stack to 99.
• While the Merchant likes the Golfer due to how much money he has, the Golfer does not like the Merchant due to his greedy behaviour.
• His Shimmer variant shares some similarities with the appearance of the Star Merchant.
• Before version 1.1, when NPCs weren't named and it was not possible to manually assign NPCs to Houses as there was no housing menu, it was possible to get up to three Merchants in a world. The second Merchant required at least 3 players with 50 Silver Coins while the third required at least 5 players with 5 Gold Coins.

The Bestiary entry for the Merchant: "The Merchant acts as a simple general store of sorts, providing useful starter tools and supplies needed for exploration."

History

 PC version

• Desktop 1.4.1: Now sells the Sharpening Station in Hardmode.

• Desktop 1.4.0.1:
  • Now has NPC happiness and prefers to live in the Forest.
  • Now sells any Pylon for 10 when the criteria are met and he is in the correct biome.
  • Now sells the Furnace when in the Jungle biome.
  • Now sells the Pin Wheel during a Windy Day.
  • Now sells the Drum Set and Drumstick.
  • No longer sells the Tax Collector's set.
  • Now has a chance to be named "Kristian".
  • Removed "Finn" as a possible name.

• Desktop 1.3.0.1:
  • Sprite updated.
  • Now sells Nail and Tax Collector's set.
  • Sickle price reduced from 1 to 60, and is now sold year-round.
  • Mining Helmet price reduced from 8 to 4.
  • Bug Net price reduced from 1 to 25.
  • Shuriken price reduced from 20 to 15.
  • Lesser Mana Potion price reduced from 2 to 1.

• Desktop 1.2.4.1: Fixed a typo in one of the Merchant’s first names (Isacc is now Isaac).

• Desktop 1.2.3:
  • Now sells Bug Net.
  • Now always sells Lesser Mana Potions (no base mana requirement).
  • Fixed bug where Merchant would not spawn if player owned over 21k .

• Desktop 1.2.1.1: Now correctly sells Sickle during Halloween.

• Desktop 1.2.1: Can now sell the Sickle during Halloween. However, it is not sold properly, due to a bug.

• Desktop 1.2.0.3: Items can no longer be duplicated with the Merchant.

• Desktop 1.2:
  • Now sells Rope, Marshmallows, Flares, and Gold Dust.
  • Safe price reduced from 50 to 20.
  • Lesser Mana Potion price raised from 1 to 2.

• Desktop 1.1:
  • Now has random name given to him on spawn. His deaths will be reported with this name. Also other NPCs will use it in their quotes.
  • Sells Disco Ball after activating Hardmode.
  • Lesser Mana Potion price reduced from 10 to 1.
  • Will no longer spawn second and third Merchants in multiplayer.

• Desktop 1.0.6:
  • Now sells Safe.
  • Glowstick price reduced from 20 to 10.

• Desktop 1.0.5:
  • Now sells Lesser Mana Potions (req. 200 base mana), Glowsticks, and Throwing Knives.
  • Choice of goods now depend on the time of day or the event.

• Desktop 1.0.3: Like other NPCs, can now be killed by enemies.

• Desktop-Release:
  • Introduced.
  • Sells Mining Helmet, Piggy Bank, Iron Anvil, Copper Pickaxe, Copper Axe, Torch, Lesser Healing Potion, Wooden Arrow, Shuriken.

 Console version

• Console 1.09: No longer autobuy first item from a Merchant.

• Console 1.08: When shopping with a merchant you are now able to see your currency.

• Console 1.07: Fixed a typo in one of the Merchant’s first names (Isacc is now Isaac).

• Console 1.06:
  • Now sells Bug Net.
  • Now always sells Lesser Mana Potions (no base mana requirement).
  • Fixed bug where Merchant would not spawn if player owned over 21k .

• Console 1.05: Now sells Disco Ball.

• Console 1.02:
  • Now sells Rope, Marshmallows, Flares, and Gold Dust.
  • Safe price reduced from 50 to 20.
  • Lesser Mana Potion price raised from 1 to 2.
  • You can no longer sell your gold to NPCs.
  • Increased speed at which you can buy stacks of things.
  • Items can no longer be duplicated with the Merchant.
  • Can now sell the Sickle during Halloween.

• Console-Release: Introduced. Disco Ball is unobtainable.

 Nintendo Switch version

• Switch 1.0.711.6: Introduced.

 Mobile version

• Mobile 1.2.11212:
  • Now sells Bug Net.
  • Now always sells Lesser Mana Potions (no base mana requirement).
  • Fixed bug where Merchant would not spawn if player owned over 21k .
  • Fixed a typo in one of the Merchant’s first names (Isacc is now Isaac).

• Mobile 1.2.6508:
  • Now sells Rope, Marshmallows, Flares, and Gold Dust.
  • Safe price reduced from 50 to 20.
  • Lesser Mana Potion price raised from 1 to 2.

• Mobile 1.1.6255: Now sells Turkey feather during Thanksgiving season.

• Mobile 1.1.5933: Now sells Wiesnbräu during Oktoberfest season.

• Mobile 1.1.8: Now sells Heart Arrows and Valentine Ring during Valentine's Day season.

• Mobile-Release:
  • Introduced.
  • Sells additional items, however the updates in which these items began to be sold is unknown.

Nintendo 3DS version

• 3DS-Release: Introduced.