It's probably because very few people used it. It takes too long and wouldn't be worth the effort for most. I have read your posts and I see that yours is an exceptional case. It must take forever to trade in materials for a decent amount of rep and marks. I guess every change is going to upset at least some people, but this is something that the majority will prefer. I guess they could have kept the material trading for marks and rep in the game, while also adding in the ability to purchase materials for marks.