Rico,
I agree there has been a significant increase in inflation. Here is how I see it... a year or two ago I wandered back in here and at the time there was a huge reductions in standing houses. IDOCs everyday, everyweek. There were three or four guilds who dominated at the time and still largely do. You could count on them to be there vacuuming the stuff up. I couldn't get my hand on anything nor could any other newcomer unless they bandwagoned into one of those guilds. So a bunch of people who really didn't need anything were getting more of it. The things of value, for resale, they hoarded, the rest got binned for 'Clean Up Brittannia' points. So you can see castles plastered with CUB decor. All that new loot didn't drop prices at all but rather got hoarded into the hands of a few. Gold likewise became concentrated. There are a few people sitting on huge amounts of gold and they, by accident or design, control prices. When two bazillionaires negotiate an inflated price, it is chump change to them but to the outsider it is a big barrier to entry.
But the new guy... can he rely on gathering raw materials? Not really. These wealthy people and guilds are sitting on stock piles of materials looted from the mass idocs. Plus... because they are long time vets, they benefit strongly from those resource vet rewards; sheep, stump, mining cart, etc... There is somebody with a dozen or more mining carts in their house, a year 10 vet reward. Does that guy ever have to mine again? Sure you could buy one but at what ridiculous price? The game isn't in these raw materials anymore but rather in Imbuing components which in many cases still have to be gathered the old fashioned way. Unlike ingots or logs, these components are more difficult to acquire. It requires you to be geared for your protection (all 70s resist, LRC..?). And perhaps most importantly they are vastly more limited in location for gathering. The ranges for Bouras is comparatively small. The same can be said for the sources for Fairy Dust. So your vulnerability to banditry is commensurately higher.
The opportunities for redistribution are very limited anymore. A well geared player has a significantly greater advantage than they might have in the past.
One item I had tried to sell a couple years ago was heavy powder charges without much luck, not enough boaters and cannons are expensive to operate. Now with the King's Collection you can get a painting that makes them for you. It was a gold sink, shopping for saltpeter.
Soulstones.... everyone can have a crafter. There are fewer opportunities for redistribution.