Shops are establishments that sell things. They might be owned by adventurers, denizens, or organisations such as Houses and cities. In adventurer-run shops, the status and types of wares sold depend on the shopkeeper, whereas in denizen-run shops, wares are usually consistent and stocked regularly at specific times. Shops can be found across the Sapient continent, on the various islands surrounding Sapience, and even in other planes of existence altogether. The Ministry of the Chancellery is responsible for all shops within a city. The practice of operating a shop is called shopkeeping.

For the itinerant merchant there is a mobile variant which can be operated out of: a travelling shop cart.