Only thing I would think to mention is that recently a lot of RMT accounts have supposedly been removed.
Lately though, there hasn't been any real increase in the cost of items, instead prices have continued to drop (at least for crafting ingredients and gear that i've been trying to farm) so this means that beginner gear will likely be really cheap for you to obtain, however its a little harder to actually make any profits now with prices so low.
Last I checked there was about 3000 people on our server, so of course that will include mules and what not, but that was what I last checked.
As to whether you'd have trouble starting a character, if you've played the game before it should be relatively easy for you. The only difficult part would be if you have the help needed to complete the quests you need in order to progress. My best suggestion would be to view the linkshell board and check out the various linkshells to find one that seems helpful, and as long as you're not the type to take advantage of that help then i'm sure you'll have no problem starting up your character.
Oh, and once you hit lvl 53+, experience is a little easier to attain if you're partying in the new ToAU areas so its a bit easier to get to 75 now.
Hope that helps, and welcome back if you do chose to come back.
Well I'm here now. I'll probably be back when I finish my finals this semester. 