I have the same opinion of r-78. Yeah, finding items is cool, making your own set of weapons is awesome and all. But the game doesn't have only the purpose of finding items. There's much more than that: Challenge Mode, Battle Mode, talking on Lobby, etc.
I never donated a single penny to the server, because I don't have condictions to do that. Also, If I ever donate, it would be just some bucks. I'm still building a Hunter and a Force gear, so I hunt for stuff, but the game isn't only that. I like to help team mates and my friends on Ultima.
All I wish now is to find a good team for Challenge Mode. I care about items, but I'm happy with the things I already have, so I help friends to find the good drops. But yeah, as I said, PSO is much more than only hunting items.