This cool WoW Classic addon lets you open your own shop

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Being a merchant and having your own shop used to be a common feature in MMOs. Games like Star Wars Galaxies, Ultima Online, and plenty others encouraged players to go into business to sell their loot personally. It was tedious but it also encouraged socialization through bartering. But then more modern MMOs like WoW automated the whole process with systems like the auction house, which became a universal marketplace that didn't require you to hang out in major cities for hours waiting for potential buyers.

Still, I love the idea of playing a merchant in an MMO. Thankfully, there's the IAmAMerchant addon for World of Warcraft Classic, which let's me live out my entrepreneurial fantasy with anyone else who is also using the same addon.

Instead of automating the actual exchange of goods and gold, though, mod maker NukiWolf2 says they want players to still do that for themselves. So you'll still have to whisper that player, agree on a price, and then trade the items manually. "This is something I want people to still do on their own," NukiWolf2 wrote in a Reddit post about the mod. "This game lives on communication and player interaction!"

This image gives a brief overview on how the mod works. (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

The downside is obvious: In order to see what people have for sale, you also have to download the mod. And given that only a few hundred people have downloaded it from the Twitch app so far, IAmAMerchant has a long way to go until it'll be reliable and ubiquitous.

But it's also a lightweight enough addon that I have no problem keeping it on my character in hopes the mod does grow in popularity. I love the idea of one day playing Classic and being able to sell items directly to other players rather than through the faceless auction house. I did a quick run through Stormwind, though, and didn't see anyone offering items for sale. Hopefully that'll change soon.

"This is amazing," wrote one redditor. "I actually like the auction house, but I missed this concept from old MMOs, where a player would open his own private store."

The thread where NukiWolf2 shared their creation is full of comments just like that. So if you fancy the opportunity to socialize with other players more, you can download this mod from Curseforge, WoWInterface, or using the Twitch app.

With over 7 years of experience with in-depth feature reporting, Steven's mission is to chronicle the fascinating ways that games intersect our lives. Whether it's colossal in-game wars in an MMO, or long-haul truckers who turn to games to protect them from the loneliness of the open road, Steven tries to unearth PC gaming's greatest untold stories. His love of PC gaming started extremely early. Without money to spend, he spent an entire day watching the progress bar on a 25mb download of the Heroes of Might and Magic 2 demo that he then played for at least a hundred hours. It was a good demo.