Your going to have to do what i'm currently doing, saving like crazy and more than likely over paying.
You got the point. Some major guild players can buy good equipment and skill books in very low price, and resell them in higher price to small guild players. Major guild players keep taking this advance and grow stronger and stronger. On the other hand, the small guild players earn gold slower, and they have to over paying many equipment and skill books. Both kind of players don't grow linearly. At the end small guild players only feel disappoint and hopeless.
If I were the top player in the game, and saw those weak players struggle at the bottom and plan to quit, I would rather give those players free equipment and skill books and let them keep play.
If we look over all assassins above lv42, it's obviously that most major guild assassins have learned shadow step, and most small guild assassins still don't have a chance to learn shadow step.
My suggestion: It's time to offer "free lunch" to small guild players to keep the game balance.