[Suggestion] Icon/tooltip indicating if an item can be bought from a vendor

[Niwashi]

especially considering that there's no way to play the game that doesn't also offer an internet browser that can be easily be swapped to for a moment

Yes there is. Everyone playing on PS3 or PS4 needs a secondary device to look stuff up. Nether console has a browser that's actually usable. I don't always have my laptop with me, and rarely want to go to the other room and boot up the computer just to look up an item I want to buy. If I happen to have my iPod on me, I may look stuff up in its Libra Eorzea app, but if I left it upstairs, I'm not likely to leave the game and go get it just to look up every item I buy.

[Lukha]

Yes there is. Everyone playing on PS3 or PS4 needs a secondary device to look stuff up. Nether console has a browser that's actually usable. I don't always have my laptop with me, and rarely want to go to the other room and boot up the computer just to look up an item I want to buy. If I happen to have my iPod on me, I may look stuff up in its Libra Eorzea app, but if I left it upstairs, I'm not likely to leave the game and go get it just to look up every item I buy.

The browsers may not be awesome but they are perfectly functional for the relatively untaxing task of googling an item.

Even if they weren't, you just proved my original point; whatever the reason for it, if you decline to check whether the item can be purchased at a vendor then you're making the decision to pay the convenience fee I charge for providing you the ability to simply obtain it from the marketboard. Nothing is preventing you from doing so, so obviously it wasn't that important to you. It's no different than the person who chooses to buy a mat they could easily go gather for free.