Perhaps the most frustrating part of the original crafting system was that many items required component parts that had to be made by a *higher-level* crafter, leaving most of us wondering, "How do we get there from here?" Not to mention that almost nothing could be made without parts from other crafts. Because *nothing* was available from vendors. And finding anything in the "market system" of the time was impossible. People's retainers were spread out in a special area. You had to look at them one by one. Wanted a specific item? Had to keep looking at retainers until you found it. No search function...
While I enjoyed the component system, I totally agree that needing a higher level item from a different class was frustrating. There are a lot of other issues you mention, which obviously made things difficult.

(edit - quotting Conradus. Forgot to do this in the original)