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Putting loot systems in place with out-of-game rules just complicates things more. People want loot all the time and they should get it based on in-game needs/discussions. If the group agrees on paying for loot IN GAME that's fine. Most of the time players just end up being civil when it comes to loot and gladly give each other gear they found. It's not like just one player benefits from a new piece of loot either, the whole party benefits by that player doing more damage/being more durable. I don't see why just one person'd have to pay for that. In the end it all evens out anyway, with people getting loot at various points in the game.
The only problem that arises every now and then is when 2 or more people want the same item. In that case, they have to solve that in game. If and only IF no solution can be reached and it starts to bubble in to an out-of-game discussion will I step in as a GM, thankfully this has never happened.
Worst thing I've seen is a Fighter and Barbarian that both wanted the same weapon. The Fighter had the worse weapon between the two so the Barbarian gave it to the Fighter, managed to do so in an in-character way "Huh, puny guy, I don't need a new weapon to kill my prey." After which the Fighter offered to help buy the Barbarian a new weapon. Behaviour like that gets rewarded by me.