One small thing you guys forget is the fact that these items are only available for a limited time, unless they decide it’s worthy of permanence:

The item will end up in the itembuildr store at first for a limited time, along with recently published items. People can purchase the item and begin trading it on Kyoubai (or just stockpile it for their collections.) The best items will also be moved (at the discretions of admins) into the actual game stores, so anyone playing the Forumwarz storyline can purchase them.

So it’s a reward for people that are playing now over people who join in the future.