Ah, I was thinking it was something else :x Ha ha.
Still guessing there's only really a loss when it's an NPC being used and not an actual character. In the NPC case, you could do what Gravity themselves did with the Pharmacist in Alberta and set it up so there's some sort of um...for lack of a better term, balancing factor.
(The Pharmacist btw is an NPC that makes fat potions for you. However, he uses up 2 herbs and an empty bottle per potion. I think he also charges you zeny >_< but I don't remember)
