Message to SoE:
Rube Goldberg would be downright envious of your entire crafting system but no where would he be more green with said envy than with your player-merchant system. In a game filled with 'What The Hell Were They Thinking?' moments, here you've really outdone yourself.
Why is it you think we players do or should enjoy having to leave our computers on 24/7 so that we might be able to sell some of our goodies to other players? In the 'Official' response to this complaint, an EQ2 dev said that the game should not become a kind of virtual WalMart where you can just buy whatever it is you need and that you'd rather see the toons out exploring, fighting, doing quests or whatever. Point taken. But you didn't bother to explain why it is you think that having a player-bought merchant available to sell off whatever you manage to loot would stifle your stated goal, if it indeed would at all. If a player isn't constantly having to run back to his apartment and juggle buy/sell items, then he could spend more time out adventuring- isn't that your stated goal?
Here's what you should have done: blatantly rip-off DAoC's system.
Mythic doesn't have much right in their game (a year plus playing it gives me that perspective) but, with their merchant system they did do something right. It's simple, it's smart and it WORKS.
You've made it so that players in EQ2 can rent their own living quarters and decorate it as they see fit. That's right out of DAoC's handbook, except that you allow players to make their own furnishings rather than having to buy them (which is a nice touch). So here you're shown that you're not above taking a proven idea and embellishing it a bit (not that there's anything wrong with that at all) to make it better. So take the next step.
Allow players to purchase outright or rent a personal vendor to hawk their wares whether the player is online or not. Make it so that the merchant actually 'carries' the items you wish to sell so that you don't have to fill up your personal backpacks with stuff you want to sell (hard to acquire more loot if your packs are filled with stuff you want to sell). If you're selling harvested resources, allow the customer to see how much is available and that the price is either per STACK or per INDIVIDUAL PIECE. The Broker idea is fine, but also allow customers to aceess your personal merchant if they wish to take the time to travel to your home zone and buy there and save the Broker Commission.
I've had friends that have been put into the position of having to leave their computers on overnight with their toons sitting in their apartments so that their goods would show up for sale to the greatest number of potential customers. I've not been able to do that so, despite consciously undercutting other merchant prices on items that are in high demand, I've yet to sell a single copper piece worth of goods. Is THAT how you envisioned your system to work? I hope not.