You are of course right.

The moment you go near /2 and mention a sensible price for something is about 5 seconds before the usual idiots start with the "lol, overpriced, ripofff" nonsense, but that has very little effect on the sensible people who will actually end up buying.

That said, as a seller, I don't normally hawk stuff on trade 'cause it's a lot of hassle, and frequently you get messed around by people who aren't really interested.

As a buyer though, trade is great. You're on-line anyway; AH scans are running, your AH alt is buying up cheap stuff...and there's someone who needs gold fast and is constantly barking whatever new BoE they have no need for at ever-decreasing prices. Might as well profit - time v. gold here is insanely good!

What *really* helps, when you find a regular person who sells on /2, is you being polite, fast to meet them, and friendly (even a bit of trade-y RP) - they will like you, remember you, and if you say that you might be interested in buying more of whatever it is they have to sell in the future can lead to some good deals.

Having good suppliers (especially ones in decent guilds who have a regular surplus of desirable loot to sell) will serve you well, and /trade is often the best way to find them initially.