Ok so lets say you need a recipe that costs 4K at basil and 7K on the auctions, and you do manage to find the recipe. You now have the option to sell that recipe for 3K on the auctions meaning that in total, the cost of using the recipe is 7K meaning that you pay the same amount regardless of whether you actually pay the same amount. Do you see where this is going? All you've done is inconvenience yourself.
By finding recipes you-
A) Change where you would normally play. If you're the farming type, you just lost crowns, if not maybe it's a moot point or maybe you lost out on a better run, or some prestige, or whatever. I personally think it's probably a good thing that people fall for this, even though it's poor judgement to do so it's at least a change of scenery before they go back to FSC.
B) Troll yourself on Basil, who only ever offers gunner armor now and never whatever you're looking for. This means waiting a good week or three before finding the recipe in question, when you could have just bought the thing.
C) Deprive someone who enjoys/partakes in recipe runs of the ability for them to sell you a recipe. If I like FSC and you like recipe hunts then it benefits you greatly if I let you find my recipes while I pay you. This causes a wonderful equilibrium of everyone getting everything as they require.. basically, the big benefit from capitalism is that this works out the way it does.
I'm not actually bent out of shape about this but the logic comes up time and time again and I've never seen it come up before so I thought it would make a lovely thread and here it is.
I don't follow.
When selling items through the auction house there is a listing fee and a 10% fee. If the item sells you get refunded the listing fee and pay the 10% fee, if the item doesn't sell you get it back minus the listing fee you originally paid. So if you list an item for 7k cr buyout, you would only receive 6.3k cr.
This is besides the point though. If you go through a run and find a recipe from basil, and pay 4k cr (not to mention during the run to find the recipe you could be heating gear, getting materials, and picking up crowns) and then sell it directly to someone for 7k cr, you made 3k cr profit.
I do understand you don't always find the recipe you want, but some people get lucky, in which case they could save money trying basil to get the recipe. Also usually if you are in a guild and someone is looking for a recipe others join in the hunt, and it can create some excitement. Older vanguard players are always looking for something to keep themselves occupied! You can always also snag recipes you aren't looking for that typically sell quickly and are in high demand to make a quick dime.