To put that in a different terms, your argument is one many of us see often around here. Although trading avatars would be cool, Ata has gone on record saying they will likely not add “avi trading” of any kind. Apparently, to do so would mess with the way the game is coded, which would cause them major issues to work out.
As for allowing shards to combine without activators, I have no support for it. That’s just another unique aspect of the game, some items really are “you were there and got it”. It shows hard work and is part of the pride bragging rights for old players. I’m not one who can talk, since my account is just a little bit than a year old, but that’s my take on shards