Item expiration seems like bad mechanics to me.

In most MMO's I've played the expired items either go into your bank account, or they go into an equity reserve until they can be reclaimed. I don't believe I have ever seen personal items just "Poof" into non existence. They should simply be removed from the sale tab and moved to a storage tab. No matter what the reason is, player items should be returned to them. And I don't agree that items left for more than 400 days should go to the tribe leader either. These items should also be moved to player equity storage or hold to be claimed when they log back in the next time.

Auction House.
I would also love to see a global type auction as they've been used in one form or another in just about every successful MMO out there. People can talk semantics about keeping a player driven economy, but then the current trade totem is already Non Player operated since I'm not there making the sale. It's not a vending machine yet the items are sold by a wooden pole. I ally with another tribe and I can magically see everything on their trade totem from mine. So that line of reasoning is already a moot point.

An option could be an Add On. (I know, this would be way down the road but an idea anyway). This could be an add on or upgrade purchase to an existing paid Xsyon account. It could be an Auctioneer Totem placed anywhere within a certain distance from the main account tribe totem, perhaps a max of 4-5 zones or 5 kilometers away. It would serve only as an auction house so there would be no tribe members or territory expansion, it's just an extension of tribe. It would also be a PVP free area or else it would become a central grieving area. Outside the Auction area you're on your own. It would allow tribes to set up a central trade area away from tribe (Without buying a second account) and once established people would know where to go to by goods. If enough players buy the Auction House Add On we could have Auction houses all around the lake. Or we could end up with some Central Trade and Commerce Districts. They could even become social hubs for people to hang out in a safe environment, do events, etc. Regular trade totems would still remain for local on tribe trades.

Any player could buy or sell at the auction (gates would be public access) however, there could be an optional membership (much like the ally function) which would allow you to view all items from all auction house subscribers on your own local tribe trade totem. Another possible option would be the ability to see ALL auction house listing at any auction house around the lake. This would allow people to see everything available even though they would still need to travel there to make the purchase. It could also create a more competitive environment. The owner of each auction house would set a commission or vendor fee for sales which would go to the owner of the auction house for providing a central and safe place for trade. This vendor fee would be one of the perks for buying the Xsyon Auction House Add On.

Side Note;
Major Kudos to Short Sam for his trade area and his attempt at creating a functioning central trade area. This is the best we have seen since the game started, but it still falls short because of the mechanics available. Lots of empty totems, the need to view each totems one at a time since not all tribes are allied, the nuisance of hauling items half way across the world to this one spot 30 to 45 minutes away (That's without a heavy cart), rather than to closer location around the lake. The need to "Ally" with another tribe to have an off tribe trade port, then the tribes quits and you need to find another tribe and start over.

Who gains from an Auction House?
The benefits of an actual auction house is that anyone can buy or sell there. The items listed from any player could be viewed and purchased in one view eliminating the need to view a forest of empty totems. It would be player built and player run. It would allow remote tribes to open shop in more commercial friendly areas. It could feasibly create auction and trade districts around the lake where people would know provide a wealth of goods and a safe area to trade. It would allow hostile tribes that want to remain hostile to have a trade port while still keeping their tribe autonomy. It provides a better business opportunity for the players like Short Sam who want to be merchants and traders and provides some additional income for the owners of the trade expansion who are willing to fork out a bit more money for an Auction house. I believe they will be longer lasting since anyone who opts for an expansion is likely a serious long term player. Lastly it could add a bit of revenue to Xsyon for the add on purchase ($14.95??) and an additional nominal monthly fee of something like $7.95 And should the owner end his Auction House subscription, the Auction Totem would decay just like a tribe totem. Once decay starts no new items can be posted and all unsold items will expired or sell before the Auction house expires.

I would buy this expansion

Thoughts and Critiques welcomed.