No, not just you. But I wouldn't say retarded, I would say confused and confusing. The upkeep system was a nice idea that was always pretty well doomed the moment the market was added.
I think the best balancing features of the game is gear weight and the way it effects your movement and attack speed, I think that is where the balancing is to be had.
Tbh, i did not mind tincans running around 24/7, was quite fun gangbanging them. And, with most of the players sitting on just one tier lower gear with almost same protection as plate, i do not see any more reasoning behind upkeep (it was put in place to stop guys abusing high lvl gear 24x7). That is still not happening.
Please, remove the marketplace options for trading money, just keep item for item, fair and square. Everyone has to make their own money, this would stop loom selling and people bathing in money.