What is holding back the Ark economy ?

Right, sorry if I came across a little aggressive

If things aren't selling on auction then your price is probably too high (there is also an ideal quantity range for each resource). Also always list an item for 7 days unless you have a really good reason not to, and remember that a good fraction of buyers are only looking to use the buyout option. Some items, especially ores, go through significant market ups and downs on a weekly or multi-week cycle. If you're a regular seller with a ped reserve, watch for this and try to sell when demand is highest, rather than on the down slope.

If things aren't selling from shops then your price is too high, or your presentation or advertisement aren't good enough, or the demand for this item may be too low. Advertisement works wonders for getting people into your shop - but ONLY if they want your stuff. If you want to makes sales of items that are commonly found on auction, your shop prices really must be well below auction prices. When choosing what items to put in your shop, in my opinion, the sweet spot is items with at least moderate demand which cannot be readily found on the auction, or items which are sold as a set (like armor, clothes, etc).