Auction House

The main market in Vana'diel for commerce between adventures. Thousands of different items may be bought or sold.

## History

 File:Auctionhouse.gif
Private investors are responsible for the establishment of the auction houses. These centers of commerce exist in the heart of each nation, and are truly vital for adventurers. The main purpose of the auction house system is to provide a means of circulating goods required for successful adventuring. This system works on the principle of awarding goods put up on auction to the highest bidder.

It is said that the lack of readily available supplies after the Great War is what gave rise to Jeuno's black market. However, with increasing numbers of adventurers, the auction house business prospered--and new auction houses sprung up everywhere as each country sought to gain a piece of the profits. With the addition of delivery services and a revolutionary style of management utilizing linkpearls (allowing business to be conducted in remote areas such as Kazham), the auction houses have truly become a convenient form of trading.

Some auction counters are constructed in such a way that the staff are not visible to the customers; this is a security measure for the safety of the employees, and a deterrent to thieves.

## How it Works

### Overview

The Auction House works on a consignment basis.
A person wishing to sell an item hands it over to the auction house and specifies a minimum price for which the item may be sold (the asking price). At this time a nominal, nonrefundable fee is charged to the seller. A person wishing to buy an item places a bid for it with the auction house. If the bid price is at least as much as the asking price then the buyer obtains the item and the bid price is sent to the seller's delivery box. Note that only the seller knows what the asking price is and the full bid price is sent to the seller even if it is more than the asking price. However, the buyer pays no fees to the Auction House.

If more than one of the same item is up for sale when a bid is made then the one with the lowest asking price is sold, or the one put up for auction first if there is a tie. (This is to encourage competitive market, though whether or not it works as intended is a hotly debated subject.) Items put up for auction will be returned to the seller's Delivery Box if unsold after 9 Vana'diel weeks, or about 3 Earth days.

Stackable items can be bought or sold as individual items or as complete stacks. Partial stacks must either be sold as singles or built into complete stacks. The Auction House treats singles and stacks as different items, so for example you can't bid for a single if there are only stacks for sale and vice versa. Also, the prices for singles and stacks are independent or each other, so the per unit price for a stack may be either more or less than the individual price.

### The Auction House Systems

There are four separate Auction House systems in Vana'diel, with one associated to each of the 4 major cities (Bastok, San d'Oria, Windurst and Jeuno). Items put up for sale in one system cannot be purchased in another system and there can be considerable variation in prices for the same item in different systems. The Jeuno system has higher fees, but due to Jeuno's central location, it is generally preferred for higher level items. The other systems are in general influenced by nearby shops and guilds; for example, you would expect a lively trade in woodworking-related items in San d'Oria due to the presence of the woodworking guild in San d'Oria.

### Buying

To buy an item, check the Auction House Counter or NPC and select **Bid** from the menu. Navigate through the categories until you reach the one containing the item you want. Then scroll through the list until you find the item, or check the first item to sort the list. (Sorting is usually a good idea, as most categories have dozens of items.) Note that stackable items appear twice, once for singles and once with a small number after the item name showing stack size for stacks. If the item is available for sale, then the number available is shown in parentheses after the name and you can start the bidding process.

Check the item and select **Price History** to get an idea of the going rate. You can use the history as a guide to how much bid, but keep in mind that it does not tell you what the current asking prices are, only what the recent bidding prices have been.

Now check the item again, select **Bid**, and enter your bid. If your bid is successful you will receive the item. Otherwise you can either bid a higher amount, or give up if you decide the price is too high.

Since bidding is free, you may want to start with a low value and raise your bids gradually until you are successful. This costs nothing but a little time, and you may get your item for much less than you thought.

Once a bid is made it can't be undone, so some care is needed to prevent a costly mistake. A common error is to bid the stack price for a single; the bid will succeed, but the price paid will be many times more than the item is worth.

See Bid for more details.

### Selling

Before selling an item, it's a good idea to view the item's price history and use it as a guide to setting your asking price (see the preceding section).

When you have decided on an asking price, select **Sell** and a list of the items currently in your inventory appears. Select the item you want to sell and enter your asking price. For stackable items, select a full stack to sell a stack and select a single or a partial stack to sell a single. The Auction House lets you know what the fee will be and asks you to confirm the sale. See Fee Schedule for more details.

A player can have 7 items (or stacks) at most for sale at the same time. This includes all auction house systems together, so for example, if you already have four items for sale in Windurst, you can't have any more than three items for sale in Bastok. Select **Sales Status** to check how many items you currently have up for sale and see if any items have sold or were returned. When an item is sold or returned, you must check it in the Sales Status list to clear the 'slot' in order sell more items. See Sales Status for more details.

## Auction House Counter Locations

The Auction House can be accessed from the following locations:

NPCs who explain the Auction House are:
Gournaie, Simmie, Kobunono, Hound Nose, Palyalya,
Rock Jaw, Diradour, and Honorine

Other NPCs who mention the Auction House are:
Lavinia, Hae Jakkya, Orudoba-Sondeba, Etsa Rhuyuli,
Golden Condor, Nijaom, and Djinabaha

## Categories

The Auction House (AH) is divided into a number of sections to make finding the item you're searching for easier. When you target the Auction House and open a "dialogue" with the auctioneer you will be able to navigate to different sections via the menus:

Bid

Sell

Sales Status

It is in the Bid category that you can spend a good deal of time just browsing around. There are a number of different items and goods that you can purchase here.

Hand-to-Hand
Daggers
Swords
Great Swords
Axes
Great Axes
Scythes
Polearms
Katana
Great Katana
Clubs
Staves
Ranged
Instruments
Ammo & Misc.
Ammunition
Fishing Gear
Grips
Pet Items | Armor

Shields
Head
Neck
Body
Hands
Waist
Legs
Feet
Back
Earrings
Rings | Scrolls

White Magic
Black Magic
Songs
Ninjutsu
Summoning
Dice | Medicines
 Materials

Smithing
Goldsmithing
Clothcraft
Leathercraft
Bonecraft
Woodworking
Alchemy | Food

Meals
Meat & Eggs
Seafood
Vegetables
Soups
Bread & Rice
Sweets
Drinks
Ingredients
Fishing | Crystals

Misc.
Beast-made
Cards
Ninja Tools
Cursed Items

## Fee Schedule

There is a transaction fee for items put up on auction which is based on the seller's asking price. The formulas for calculating the transaction fee are listed below.

Jeuno / Nashmau / Tavnazia Auction Houses

Single item fee = 1% of the seller's asking price +50 gil.
Stacked item fee = 0.5% of the seller's asking price +200 gil.
Al Zahbi Auction House

Single item fee = 1% of the seller's asking price +100 gil.
Stacked item fee = 0.5% of the seller's asking price +400 gil.
Aht Urhgan Whitegate Auction House

Single item fee = 2% of the seller's asking price +100 gil.
Stacked item fee = 1% of the seller's asking price +400 gil.
Other Auction Houses

Single item fee = 1% of the seller's asking price +1 gil.
Stacked item fee = 0.5% of the seller's asking price +4 gil.
## See Also

* Bazaar (Auction House alternative)
* Auction House Strategy Guide
* How to be good for the Economy - Guide by Chapel