Crafting bag and crowns subscription. Thats pretty much what it boils down to.
It's really no different than most subscription based MMOs, except ESO allows you to play without a subscription. All WoW expansions, GW2, SWTOR etc expansions were a required purchase outside of the base game+sub.
I have no problems paying for ESO+ because I'm a hoarded and losing the craft bag would kill the game for me.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.”
― Robert E. Howard