OR, Stompa....
They could do a couple server mergers... (The other day was only 600 people at peak time on Odin... And Odin is supposed to be one of the larger servers... I can't imagine what the small ones are like.)
That should revitalize what you described...

As for the main topic, RoE gives you stuff for 1-50 for free...
And to be honest... With how fast you level... It's kinda a waste of money and time to constantly change gear every level.
(I basically, with a couple of pieces of exception *coughboundingbootscough* stick with my lv30 RSE 'til I can wear my AF1 pieces... Then put on whatever relevant relic pieces I might have at 71-75. After 75, off to abyssea until 99... But that's just me.)
But I feel like server merging would result in giving someone who wants to go crazy with keeping their gear up the opportunity to do so.