Market Board
Market boards are interactable objects found in the marketplace and residential districts of each Major City, and marked on the map. All market boards access the same server-wide market, showing all items listed for sale in any city. When using the World Visit System to travel to another server, players can use the market board to access the destination server's market for purchasing, though items cannot be listed for sale there.
Purchases are made with 
Gil for a price set by the selling player, plus a 5% fee on top of the price. This tax is fixed for the buyer, but the seller also pays a tax of between 5%-0% of the list price depending on the city in which the Retainer is stationed. These seller taxes fluctuate on a daily basis, and the current rates can be confirmed by speaking with a 
Retainer Vocate. For an example, an item listed for 100 will cost the buyer 105 and the seller will receive at minimum 95. These taxes are a method to control inflation by removing Gil from the game.
The player-based market often offers better deals and a wider selection than vendor NPCs. Sourcing crafting materials from the market can save a lot of time compared to acquiring them by hand, and equipment from the market can be a cost-effective upgrade, particularly at certain points in the leveling process. The Market Board is also the sole source for High Quality gear for Gil, which after Level 50 quickly outpaces normal quality vendor gear in stats.
The market board window allows for searching by item name, either via a name prefix or via a partial match anywhere in the name. Items can also be browsed in categories, optionally filtered by required level and suitable class/job, and added to a custom list of favorites and an ephemeral wish list.
Because each world (server) has its own market, it is often beneficial to use the World Visit System or Data Center Travel to find a server with the cheapest prices for the item(s) one wants to buy, especially for high-value or bulk purchases. There are some player-made resources to assist with this.
Market Board Locations
Does not include Market Boards in Residential Districts
| Region | City | Zone / Area | Coordinates | Closest Aethernet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Noscea | Limsa Lominsa | Lower Decks | (X:5.7, Y:12.0) | Hawkers' Alley |
| La Noscea | Limsa Lominsa | Lower Decks | (X:5.7, Y:12.2) | Hawkers' Alley |
| La Noscea | Limsa Lominsa | Lower Decks | (X:6.7, Y:12.0) | Hawkers' Alley |
| La Noscea | Limsa Lominsa | Lower Decks | (X:7.9, Y:11.8) | Hawkers' Alley |
| La Noscea | Limsa Lominsa | Lower Decks | (X:8.8, Y:11.4) | Limsa Lominsa Aetheryte Plaza |
| La Noscea | Limsa Lominsa | Lower Decks | (X:8.8, Y:11.6) | Limsa Lominsa Aetheryte Plaza |
| Thanalan | Ul'dah | Steps of Thal | (X:13.3, Y:9.5) | Sapphire Avenue Exchange |
| Thanalan | Ul'dah | Steps of Thal | (X:13.7, Y:9.3) | Sapphire Avenue Exchange |
| Thanalan | Ul'dah | Steps of Thal | (X:14.0, Y:10.2) | Sapphire Avenue Exchange |
| Thanalan | Ul'dah | Steps of Thal | (X:14.1, Y:10.5) | Sapphire Avenue Exchange |
| Thanalan | Ul'dah | Steps of Thal | (X:14.3, Y:11.4) | Sapphire Avenue Exchange |
| The Black Shroud | Gridania | Old Gridania | (X:14.4, Y:8.3) | Leatherworkers' Guild and Shaded Bower |
| The Black Shroud | Gridania | Old Gridania | (X:14.2, Y:8.4) | Leatherworkers' Guild and Shaded Bower |
| The Black Shroud | Gridania | Old Gridania | (X:14.4, Y:9.2) | Leatherworkers' Guild and Shaded Bower |
| The Black Shroud | Gridania | Old Gridania | (X:14.4, Y:9.3) | Leatherworkers' Guild and Shaded Bower |
| The Black Shroud | Gridania | Old Gridania | (X:14.4, Y:10.2) | Leatherworkers' Guild and Shaded Bower |
| Coerthas | Ishgard | The Pillars | (X:8.1, Y:10.3) | The Jeweled Crozier |
| Hingashi | Kugane | Kogane Dori | (X:11.2, Y:12.2) | Kogane Dori Markets |
| Norvrandt | The Crystarium | Musica Universalis | (X:10.2, Y:13.8) | Musica Universalis Markets |
| The Northern Empty | Old Sharlayan | The Agora | (X:11.5, Y:10.5) | Old Sharlayan Aetheryte Plaza |
| Yok Tural | Tuliyollal | Bayside Bevy | (X:13.4, Y:13.6) | Bayside Bevy Marketplace |
Resources
Player-uploaded Market Board prices can be accessed from https://universalis.app/ They also maintain standalone uploader software as well as plugins.
Historical
During Legacy, Retainers were required to be deployed into a bazaar area in each city, much like they currently can be on housing estates. Sellers had to assign a Retainer to a vacant stall, and buyers were forced to visit each retainer in turn to check items for sale. If no stalls were available, the retainer could not sell items. There was no Market Board or search interface at the time. Players initially only had a single retainer, but a second was added late in Legacy after many changes to the market ward system.
The market ward system itself was an evolution of the Bazaar feature, which was one way items could be sold in Final Fantasy XI. Players could list items for sale directly out of their inventory while away-from-keyboard, and other players could walk up and buy them for the listed price. The original system in XIV offloaded this onto the retainer NPCs and confined them to a fixed area. That said, the primary way most players sold items in XI was the Auction House, which Legacy didn't have an equivalent of. Even the modern FF XIV Market Board doesn't allow for "looking to buy" listings.