Why is Global Trade HQ so awful? Suggest real auctions....

I've been developing web apps longer than EA, and can state with 99% certainty that the 30 second timer was added to reduce server overloads (and reduce their bandwidth costs as well as drive up item sales...). The horrible exchange design forced players to repeatedly speed-search the exchange trying to find that last dozer blade or camera they needed to expand their city or storage. There were clear signs the system was overloading, including server time-outs. Instead of fixing the exchange, they made it worse.