I may regret it but, knowing that I can go to the merchant ID-ers in battlefields almost any time I want and can have them ID new gear for a smeasly 100 gold, I don't want to waste the all important skill points on ID. Open to comment/correction here.
Right now, you're on the mark. Identify is a giveaway, since you can always travel to the battlefields and get it done cheaply. You have tons of money available for it, too. And yet...
The game is still being balanced. Until a short while ago, money was in slim supply, since merchants had very little of it. If Larian chooses to reduce the amount of money again, or raise the cost of Identify, or make certain items beyond the ability of merchants to identify, you may wish to rethink your strategy.