The trading system in Minecraft is a gameplay mechanic that allows players to buy and sell items using emeralds. Villagers and Wandering Traders in Minecraft are affected by this system. In this article, we are going to list out everything you need to know about how to trade with Villagers in Minecraft, updated with the latest information as of 2025, including changes from recent updates like the Villager Trade Rebalance in versions 1.20 and 1.21.
Table of Contents
1 - How to trade with villagers in Minecraft
Summary of trading mechanics
To trade with a villager in Minecraft, just press Use on an adult villager with a profession, or a wandering trader. This would open up a menu that allows players to trade. All transactions involve emeralds. Villagers buy or sell goods, but Wandering Traders do not buy.
Trading is the only method to obtain various rare items like woodland explorer maps, ocean explorer maps, trial explorer maps, globe banner patterns, and more.
How villagers levels and professions affect trading
Each villager has 5 career levels that can be increased through trading. Both the villager and player gain experience upon trading (3–6 experience per trade, plus an additional 5 if the villager levels up). They start at Novice and when the experience bar of a villager is full, they level up and the next set of trades will be unlocked. Villagers need cumulative 10/70/150/250 exp to level up to Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert, Master, respectively.
The profession of a villager dictates its trading pool. Different professions are assigned to each villager based on their job-site block. Upon receiving a new profession, the appearance and trading interface of a villager change.
Novice villagers who have not traded yet can lose their profession and gain a new one if you remove their job site block and place a new one. Be careful, as once you trade with a villager, the villager keeps its profession forever and subsequently locks in the offered trades. Villagers disable an offer after a number of trades, however, they reactivate it up to 2 times per day.
2 - Economics of trading in Minecraft
In Java Edition, villagers can have a maximum of 10 trades. Each level unlocks a maximum of two new trades. In Bedrock Edition, villagers have 7–10 trade slots. Players can only trade an item a few times until that trade is disabled. Afterward, the villager needs to restock on their job site block.
The price of an item can change based on demand. If you buy out an item, its price would be higher the next time it gets restocked. Each item has its own price multiplier.
3 - How to get a discount from villagers
Currently, there are two main ways to get discounts in trading with villagers in Minecraft. The first method is to become the Hero of the Village, which grants players discounts at all shops. The second way is to cure a Zombie villager to get a permanent maximum discount when trading with them.
Hero of the Village status effect
Upon becoming the hero of the village, players would get a discount on all the shops in the village. Firstly, players need to get the Bad Omen status effect. In recent updates (1.21+), this is obtained by killing an illager captain to get an Ominous Bottle, then consuming it.
A raid would be triggered if you enter a village having that status effect. Refer to the complete guide on how to stop a raid in Minecraft to defeat it and you would get the Hero of the Village status effect.
The potency of the buff depends on the strength of the raid. The Bad Omen buff stacks up to level 5. If you manage to get level 5, the Hero of the Village buff would reduce all item prices to 1 emerald. The villagers will also throw free items at you occasionally.
It is recommended to build enough defense for a village before trying to do this. The buff will last for 40 minutes.
Curing Zombie villagers
Zombie Villagers are a variant of villagers that spawn when a villager is killed by zombies (50% in Normal and 100% in Hard). They can also spawn naturally, but that is pretty rare.
Players can get a permanent maximum discount from a single villager and a temporary discount from all nearby NPCs in the village by removing the Zombie status from a villager. To do this, players must splash the zombie villager with a splash potion of weakness then feed it a golden apple. As of updates in 1.20.2 and later, curing a zombie villager once provides the maximum permanent discount, reducing prices to the minimum of 1 emerald where possible. Multiple cures no longer stack additional discounts.
You can create a zombie villager farm then cure villagers to unlock the bonus. This is an efficient way to get discounts in Minecraft, requiring golden apples as investment.
4 - Recent Updates: Villager Trade Rebalance
In updates starting from 1.20.2 and becoming more integrated in 1.21, Minecraft introduced the Villager Trade Rebalance feature (initially experimental, now standard in many worlds). This changes how trades work, particularly for librarians and armorers, making certain enchanted books and armor trades biome-specific. For example, librarians in desert biomes might offer different enchantments like Fire Protection or Efficiency compared to those in swamps or jungles.
To access the full range of trades, players now need to source villagers from various biomes or explore more. This encourages exploration and affects how trading halls are built, as you may want to include villagers from different biomes for optimal trades.
5 - How to Build a Minecraft Villager Trading Hall
A villager trading hall is a structure that houses multiple villagers for efficient trading. Here's a short, simple guide to building one, considering 2025 updates like trade rebalancing.
Materials Needed:
- Oak planks (or building blocks of choice)
- Pistons
- Redstone dust
- Levers
- Magenta glazed terracotta (for walls)
- Job site blocks (e.g., lecterns for librarians)
- Beds (for villager resting and breeding)
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Set Up the Base Layer: Lay out a grid with oak planks. Place pistons for cell separation and add redstone dust underneath for activation.
- Build the Upper Layer: Add levers for control. Use glazed terracotta for walls and planks for flooring. Position job site blocks for professions.
- Create Input System: Connect to a villager breeder. Use pistons to close cells after a villager enters.
- Set Up Storage Cells: Design cells to protect villagers (e.g., from zombies). Ensure each has a job site for restocking.
- Implement Output System: Add a way to discard unwanted villagers (e.g., lava pit, avoiding direct kills to prevent reputation loss).
- Lock in Trades: Trade once to lock professions. For rebalancing, source villagers from different biomes for diverse trades.
Key Tip: Make the design flexible for updates. Prioritize farmers, librarians, and fletchers for emerald farms. Protect from lightning and mobs.
Interested in more of our articles related to Minecraft? Please check out this post to find out more about the Guide On How To Enchant Items In Minecraft.