The amusing thing is the scale is so different, I mean, the OP mentions a few hundred gold, in WoW that'd be like... pauper nowadays.
Myself, I'm at 120g in GW2 right now, I usually fluctuate between 100 and 200, but just haven't been chasing gold for a while. I used to do well with the world boss circuit. Pretty sure the money is more in dungeons, unless you're playing the market.
For the TP, I've had good luck buying some items for okay price, salvaging them and selling the rune/sigil for more than I paid for the item. (giving me a little gold, plus some ectos/ mats) By the same token, sometimes the quaggan backpack skins are cheaper for the kit (with blank white backpiece) than for the backpack alone. By the kit, sell the skin. It's not a big profit, but I've needed those white backpieces often enough.