Crafting doesn’t have any significant function in this game, other than to amuse hobbyists.
Many claim to make significant profits selling crafted items, but consider total cost of getting to lvl 400 crafting (buying [and not selling] materials, buying recipes, time spent not grinding other sources of income). There is a significant investment one needs to make back as soon as they hit max crafting level.
Since you can net more playing with market fluctuations and selling raw materials, investing in crafting is questionable at best. Creating special items for your character seems a logical use, but since one can buy everything they need at the TP it’s hard to justify why you should craft to get the same item.
Unless ANet adds significant Account or Character Bound items to craft, you’re better off following these steps:
- Avoid the crafting money-sink.
- Sell everything you find.
- Use that money to buy whatever you need.