How To Work the Market Board
Final Fantasy XIV‘s Market Board is a global exchange for players to sell items to other players. The majority of items available are sellable, resulting in a strong in-game economy that encourages players to compete with others. The competition on the market board directly impacts gatherers who sell their items, crafters who buy ingredients, and players who need to stay equipped with the best gear. The market board is an essential part of the game to say the least.
Players who are new to using the market board tend to make small mistakes that can eat away at their income. Most players passively sell whatever scraps their inventory for minimal gil. However, this is the worst way to work with the market board. For players looking to make money, using the market board efficiently is key to selling items at the highest prices.
Do not sell in increments of 99
While it’s tempting to put that stack of 99 ash logs on the market, it’s the worst way to sell an offer. Nobody wants to buy 99 cinder logs when they only need 6 to craft their item. Buyers are more likely to buy a bundle of 10 logs, even if the list price is technically higher. This means that against a barrage of 99 stack lists, preference will be given to the player who took the extra seconds to segment their stacks.
Selling items in small increments is a much more efficient way to sell items. This means something different depending on the article. For example, it’s best to sell Materia in pairs, while selling mob drops in larger batches works better. As a rule of thumb, don’t group more than 15 items in a single pile.
Update prices every few hours
The biggest mistake new players make is posting an item and then forgetting about it, only to find out days later that their item is hundreds of Gil over the lowest price. Similar to the real world economy FFXIVMarket prices change every hour. Prices drop as players compete to sell their items by undercutting others. Neglecting the item price puts the unsuspecting seller in a situation where they have to sell items at a loss or wait for the market to recover.
Players don’t need to lose sleep over the ever-changing prices, but it’s always a good idea to double-check the market board before signing off for the day. Finally, each unsold item occupies one of the 20 valuable sell slots in a follower’s inventory.
Don’t go with the flow
In addition to keeping track of market prices, players need to know how much their item is worth and what they are willing to sell it for. As other players continue to lower their prices, items quickly lose all value. A player who has managed to obtain a significant amount of Rare Silk may be disheartened to learn that it is worth no more than 15 gil on the market board.
The best way to combat this severe undercutting is to wait a few days. While this may seem counterintuitive, waiting to sell more valuable items will prove far more fruitful. After the market board traders have bought all the cheap offers, a patient player can list their item and lay the groundwork for the next underbidding cycle.
Sell more than just your junk
Players who only sell junk are unlikely to become millionaires. Dodo meat and animal skins can be crafting items, but they usually only sell for a gil or two. In order to increase revenue, players must become proactive in selling. One way to do this is to take advantage of crafting orders and crafting logs.
Players who enjoy crafting have an advantage. Crafting popular clothing as a weaver or leatherworker is a lucrative way to generate income. For players who can’t stand the crafting mini-game, they sell the most desirable crafting commodities. Players who enjoy hunting or FATEs should be pleased to know that high tier mob drops are expensive items for crafters unwilling to farm for their own ingredients. A quick look at the level 50+ crafting logs on the official website will provide hunters with everything they need to know about valuable drops.
Take advantage of world hopping
Those familiar with the game’s economy may consider visiting other worlds and buying stocks to sell back home. Each world has its own trends, and while high-priced items like treasure map drops tend to stagnate across worlds, smaller ticket items like cloth and metals always have price differentials.
The trick to world hopping is to catch up on trends on your home world before buying stock on another. Keep in mind that while players can buy on other worlds, they cannot sell. If players accidentally buy too many stocks at too high a price, they will have to sell them on their home world.
Selling on the Market Board can be both simple and complex. It’s an opportunity for players to earn thousands of Gil through their time crafting or generate passive income by maximizing their efforts in Dungeons and Hunts. In any case, working on the Market Board is an effective way to generate income if players use it correctly and follow its rules.