Which Mario Party game first allowed players to buy items from a shop on the board?

Mario Party 3 was the first Mario Party game to let players buy items from shops located on the board. This made items a regular part of board strategy rather than something obtained only through special events or minigames.

In Mario Party 3, players can pass Item Shops and purchase useful or disruptive items with coins. Toad operates Toad’s Trading Post, while Baby Bowser runs Baby Bowser’s Joint; each shop offers a different style of inventory. Helpful items can improve movement or protect a player, while Baby Bowser’s selection is more focused on hindering opponents. Players can carry up to three items at once.

Mario Party 3 also introduced the Cellular Shopper, which allows a player to call a shop from anywhere on the board during a turn. The common confusion comes from later games, where shops became familiar features of nearly every board. Mario Party 2 already had items, but Mario Party 3 was the entry that established board-based item shopping as a central mechanic.