My level 17 guy wears 15.3K worth of gear, and seems to be making money gradually. My previous generation guy wore 40K of gear at lvl 30, and about half the time I'd have to downgrade to earn some cash. This is light kuyak, tagancha helm, rus boots, mail mittens, regular espada, elite cav shield and 2 slots of balanced jarids (well, they were heavy, so I'm not sure the actual total cost last gen).
This is fine for my guy, but it blows me away how heavier builds can make any money at all. I suppose it helps if you've been playing since day one and have masterwork everything and can sell loom points, but we're not all there yet. Naturally I'd hate to see nothing but tincans out there, but I think a little pity should be taken on the newbs. Perhaps first generation players (not including alts) get a bonus? 2nd gen gets less of a bonus, and 3rd and beyond nothing at all. It was a bitch saving money up for gear with my first guy, a cav/archer/shielder/polearm hybrid.