1,2,3,4 - no.
5 - seems reasonable.
6 - definitely agree.
7 - client side so not Rolf.
8 - indifferent.
9 - Lanterns should decay up to the point they ran out of fuel.. Not the oh you logged out a month ago with your lantern on.. Let me destroy it for you.
The big change I would see would be:
Allow an option for the trader to do items for items deals in his favor.
i.e. a spindle worth 1 copper should be able to be traded for that whetstone that is 30 iron.
Just makes things easier for the new players to make things to pick up the random little things they need from a trader.. whetstones, pelts, etc.
And would allow us more experienced players to dump stuff on the trader that would be useful for new players without having to take random items and provide exact change.
To ensure it doesn't get abused for draining traders make it so the trader gives no money back when the option is used. i.e. with items worth 1c for items 30i trade don't give any cash back at all.