Materia System

[Wynn]

In this example, you are the person that both sells the glass and makes the house. You can thus charge whatever the hell you please for the glass and they have to pay it.

In a balanced system, you would have to purchase the glass from someone who isn't you.

In this case, crafters get to pay themselves with gatherers' and battlers' money.

No, actually in my example the glass maker is most certainly someone else, otherwise I wouldn't be buying materials at all. I'd be using my own.

A crafter is buying the materia from battle player A's retainer, purchasing the catalyst from harvester player A's retainer, using both to make an enhanced weapon out of their own crafted weapon, and then putting the result up on his retainer, which is then purchased by battle player B.

Plus if player B doesn't like crafter As price, he can go see crafter B or C.

The only way your example is accurate is if said crafter is also a battle class player, and a harvester, and goes to make his own materia/catalysts. And even if that is the case, I fail to see the problem there. It's his loot that he worked to get, same as you or anyone else. They can do what they want with it. Anyone is free to purchase from another retainer that they feel is priced fairer, or make their own.

I mean look at your sig. You have pretty much all three class archetypes leveled to 50. You'll be making everything yourself. So will a lot of people. And if you are that concerned that greedy crafters are going to band together and rape the masses, fight the good fight and undercut their prices. You of all people have the ability to do just that.

I, however, think your fears in this instance are a bit more akin to wearing a tin foil hat.