Final Fantasy games have always been about story and lore...if they steer away from that just to give out items without consequences...they will truly piss off their main player base.

I'm sorry but if I wanted another WoW where everyone could get everything with no consequences I'd go play WoW. I want to make some tough decisions and get what I get.

Sorry to say that one item over another isn't game destructive in Final Fantasy XIV. The stats they put on x,y, and z item from one GC to another isn't substantial...and the fact is remember materia plastered gear is still substantially better then anything you can get from static gear.