Why is crafting/gathering so difficult/grindy?

[tymora]

Buy cheap HQ items for leves turn ins, if you have those available. Same thing for GC turn ins.
Without crafting anything, you can get yourself to say...61 to use the cheap white crafting/gathering gear.
Case in point, leveled gsm from 66 to 70 in 15 min, with HQ ingots at 2k a pop, with about 30-40 leves. (can't remember exactly)
- Prices later went up to 12.5k an ingot though

If gear is up to date, success rates should be around 80% for gathering same level items I think.

Scrip items is also an excellent source of exp, when you run out of leves or turn ins.

Also tried the Moogle crafting quests?

[Maeka]

Buy cheap HQ items for leves turn ins, if you have those available. Same thing for GC turn ins.
Without crafting anything, you can get yourself to say...61 to use the cheap white crafting/gathering gear.
Case in point, leveled gsm from 66 to 70 in 15 min, with HQ ingots at 2k a pop, with about 30-40 leves. (can't remember exactly)
- Prices later went up to 12.5k an ingot though

If gear is up to date, success rates should be around 80% for gathering same level items I think.

Scrip items is also an excellent source of exp, when you run out of leves or turn ins.

Also tried the Moogle crafting quests?

I've been grinding moogles for weeks now, but it takes 3 days for 1 levelup on my Lv58-59 classes.

And no, you don't get 80% success with gatherer gear in SB. It's 70-73% with 3% HQ if you have the Lv61 clothes, Lv62 main hand, and Lv63 offhand doing a Lv62 item. I just did Mountain Popoto earlier. Lv63 BTN with the aforementioned gear.

[Jelly_Baby]

It's 70-73% with 3% HQ if you have the Lv61 clothes, Lv62 main hand, and Lv63 offhand doing a Lv62 item.

I'm really not sure why you're having a low gathering chance, I'm level 67 mining and still using the blue augmented Minekeepers gear which is level 60. It has no melds in and with food I get 691 GP and its better than the level 66 NQ gathering gear.

Also I have a 78% gathering chance and 9% HQ chance on a level 69 node.

Even doing the level 66 collectable "Raw Azurite" I still get a baseline of 88% gathering chance.

Gatherings free, so go get those collectables and red scripts!