Firstly, there's nothing on the Cartel Market that makes you better than someone who chooses not to buy on the CM. Simply because all of the best gear is obtained through the game itself either by raiding, crafting or PvPing. As for the "expansion" as they put it, as of right now the info they've given does not warrant that content patch as an expansion. Since they've said they haven't revealed everything for it yet, I'll wait and see what the whole "sha-bang" entails before I pass my final judgement on it. If it's not much more than it is, I'll agree with the OP in that regard. However, I don't agree that the current CM is a P2W. It's cosmetic with good stats.