You are correct. Crafting is fun, but very flawed and unbalanced in comparison to combat classes.
Crafter gear is handed out left and right for quest rewards making crafted gear almost unmarketable. To change this, quest rewards and vendor gear should have been lower quality then crafter gear.
Grand Company daily craft provisions should not give xp to crafter classes unless you actually crafted them. For example, a lvl 50 bard should not be able to go to market and purchase all the items for his Grand Company turn ins and then get xp toward his crafting classes. This is unfair to crafter classes and makes no sense on top of it. I mean, theres no way for a leather worker to get xp in combat classes without engaging in combat right?
Gathered mats also have no value early on, since most of them are sold by vendors.
Crafting is so fun, it is just frustrating to craft gear, only to see folks selling the stuff on the market for or less than vendor prices.
More crafter love pls devs.