Why do you think it is that gathering materials to make an item using your hard earned crafting skill costs more than the item itself?
Let's use an example: Lilac Corsage
Materials Req:Earth Crystal, Spiderweb, Twinthread and a Lilac
Now you can farm everything here, except the Lilac, but you can purchase that cheap from the Jeuno Flower Shop. My biggest complaint is that the Twinthread is obtainable in only one known way. You have to farm a NM called Habetrot in the Temple and need a full party of 60+ people to do it (from what I have read here). Also there is no guarantee that Habetrot will pop when you attempt to get him to show (also mentioned in the Habetrot and Twinthread write ups). Habetrot will drop Twincoons, which are needed to make Twinthread (2 of them btw). This is the ONLY way, besides purchasing the thread or cocoons off the AH at exoberant prices, to get Twinthread. Now the Corsages sell for a pretty piece of gil, but it is vastly underpriced when you take into account the time/material cost/skill needed to make one. I am a Clothcrafter of level 52, I have a few female friends asking me to make Corsages for them. I would love to, but my highest job level is 43. There is no way for me to get ahold of Twinthread without buying it.
I guess this was more of a rant, but am curious how many other recipies are out there for the various crafts that are like this? Go ahead and post them up here. Who knows maybe SE will take notice and realize that certain materials are ridiculously hard to obtain, considering the low level of the recipie...