Virtually empty Market Board?

[Niwashi]

I took a peek at the market board and noticed there's practically nothing on it. As in, ONE weapon for marauders. Maybe 6 for dragoons. Similar numbers for other classes.

The first list you see when looking stuff up on the marketboard lists all items defined in the game that are tradeable and match the level and gear type that you're searching for, regardless of whether anyone is actually offering them for sale or not. If that first list isn't showing much, it's because of your search parameters (which default to your own class and level for most gear, or to the level you have the corresponding class if searching for weapons). From that first list, you select an item and it brings up a second list of all the sales currently being offered for that item. If a lot of items have 0 sales, or very few, that part would indicate a market board that's not very active (at least for the type of items you're looking at).

Does this mean that crafting is pointless?

Sounds just the opposite. If there were an abundance of crafters outbidding each other to sell stuff, driving the prices down to where they're all but giving gear away, then you can buy it off them cheaper than make it yourself. If, on the other hand, there's a shortage of crafters, and a lot of what you'd want either isn't available or is only offered at outrageously high prices, then making it yourself both gives you better access to good gear and can provide you quite a bit of profit as you sell your extras to other players who want it as well.