Thing is if you could just buy enchantments there'd be no reason to raise the skill. I like it how it is, unless the people you could pay would only be able to put lesser enchants on your gear.
This is such a ludicrous blanket response. Of course roleplaying is an option, but the vast majority of players don't role play. For them, what would be the point in raising a skill if you could just buy it instead?
Money. If it was expensive to purchase enchantments compared to doing it yourself it can make a difference. Early game when you don't have a lot of money you might be able to get low level enchantments. But to get the high level stuff that you can normally make yourself might cost in the 10's of thousands to buy.
I have said this before in OB forums. I didn't like how you had to join the mages guild in OB to enchant. I thought it would have been better that a) You join the guild and make your own enchanted items with the effects that you know (fire damage, frost shield, etc....) or b ) you pay an enchanter (much more costly than doing it yourself) to enchant items with the effects that
THEY know. Meaning, unlike Morrowind where they enchanted items for you with effects that you know, if you wanted a certain enchantment you might have to find the right enchanter to do it. Not all enchanters have the same effects that can be enchanted.
And yes, to some of us, roleplaying is a factor even if it isn't to many.
EDIT: I haven't gotten that far, but isn't the Master Enchanting perk being able to put two effects on an item? If they had enchanters I don't think they should be able to do this. Another reason why some players might want to enchant themselves instead of buying.