From I've seen right after the patch, the PP costs for items are pretty balanced, high enough NOT to discourage people from getting the same items through normal means in-game, while at the same time not so costly that it stop someone (most likely a casual player) who would like to spend a few bucks to save some time.
I've been playing AO since beta, that is almost 1/4 of my life, playing the same game. It's become a hobby for me, I love the game but as I've gotten older, real life has slowly reduced my gaming time. These days, I probably only spend less than half the time I used compared to 5 years ago. Vets like me likely have gone through the same, priorities have changed and from being hardcore gamers, they have become casual gamers.
Most vets know the game well enough to play any profession, or learn one which they haven't yet played at a fast pace. So buying tokens, vp or a pre-leveled toon wouldn't really affect the game itself.
Regarding buffing items, not sure yet.