Hello Webdevmerc, thank you, I also have to work like that and it's not a problem for me... but I wanted to use this cart for customers for whom I build their websites and they need an easy way to manage their images. AbanteCart doesn's seem to be ready for them...
I don't know if this is really an issue with Abantecart personally Since I have full access, it doesn't bother me...but, if you use eBay, Amazon or any other marketplace or website, do they let you know where their images are located? Probably not. The reason it's done this way is beyond my own skill or knowledge of how web or e-commerce apps should be desiged...my guess is probably security and other benefits I don't know. They probably also don't want the directory browseable.
It's also "dumbified" for the average consumer so I wouldn't say Abantecart isn't ready for them, rather, they (your avg customer) should just learn to work within the framework provided. All IMO of course.