I know it's too late in DOSs development to do this, but I think CRPGs should start allowing players to buy big ticket items like horses, cattle, wagons, boats, houses including furniture, and castles including defensive walls and towers to alleviate gold issues in them. Who wouldn't like to have their own castle in their favorite CRPG? These high ticket items wouldn't necessarily need to have a game purpose other then the accomplishment of purchasing them, but they for sure could help dispose of gold in a more realistic way.
As for merchants in DOS, as long as they have an endless supply of gold I'll be happy, becuause I pick up any and everything, and in games like Divine Divinity I had no way the get rid of my house/yard/town full of items because of its bardering system.
