If your playing to boost your epeen with the gear you have / get then i find that quite pathetic, ALTHOUGH if you play because your enjoying the game and whom you play with, whilst aquiring the nice gear, thats how it should be.
When i quit WOW(about 3 months ago), i had 5/9 tier 3, i didn't play purely for the gear, i passed quite alot of gear for others too, just took it as it came, seeing as i was a druid too, the gear i took was only ever used in raids, i quit because naxxramas got to tidius.