Originally Posted by
Moomin
Sorry I should have clarified- they were RMTs unless lvl 1 characters usually have 60k+ worth of gold and are able to buy 500 shards / 200 crystals at once without even getting to lvl 20 for retainer.
I looked at the history of shards sold when this was happening because the prices were jumping from 7 gil to 60, sometimes 200 and I realized it was lvl 1 characters buying the low priced shards.
So yes, they are controlling the market.
EDIT: Emphasis on multiple lvl 1 characters doing this.