I've read through all the posts here, and I think that I support the dev's descision...
But... I think that the best path for the GMs to take is to implement a WoW style auction house... That way the price variation is controlled by the players (albeit to an extent). That way nobody can complain about the pricing... I'm sure that it must have been recommended before though, but I don't see any problems with it.

Planeshift is a good game, but I think the GMs need to pay more attention to the new players... They have no idea how the game changes, and things change frequently in Planeshift... Maybe another forum dedicated to game changes and tips & tricks just to help the new players.