There are several types of shops in DotA. There are the basic item shops, these sell base items that do not require any recipe, then there are the Leragas The Vile shops, these also sell items that do not require any recipe to make, but they are generally much more expensive and powerful than the items you buy at your base. There are 6 recipe item shops, these sell recipe scrolls which can be combined with base items (or recipe items) to make stronger items. Finally, there are the 2 Goblin Shops, these sell a combination of base items from the base and from the Leragas The Vile shops.

Items

Items come in different types, there are consumables, normal items, and recipes. Consumables are items such as Healing Salve, Dust of Appearance, and Observer Wards that have a given amount of uses before being destroyed. Normal items are the mass majority of items in DotA, most of them have passive effects that are always active on your hero, but some have an additional active ability that can be used as well. Recipes do nothing on their own, but combine with the items listed on them to form a new item.

You can use Animal Couriers and Flying Couriers to carry items around for you. If you purchase an item when neither you nor any heroes/couriers that you have control of are around, the purchased item will be placed on top of your Circle of Power. If you attempt to place an item belonging to another player on your Circle of Power, it will be transported instantly back to the owning player's Circle of Power.