The only thing that will really fix Istaria's economy is
1 crafters stop making everything for free, and
2 a larger player base.

I get that players like helping others, but the situation we have now is partly caused by this. And nicely tipping your crafter lets them know you appreciate their time. Free or very low cost items might be ok for tier 1 and 2, but can set an expectation with players who then expect everything should be free. And of course that's no mindset to support an ingame economy..

At this point, there's no way to force a fix. Its not going to change anytime soon.