I will answer your question John. "What can a wholesaler offer that an agent can not?"
The biggest thing is that a good wholesaler (operative word being "good") WILL get your house sold. 100% no ifs ands or buts. Either they will find a buyer and assign the contract or they will buy it themselves.
I have NEVER heard an agent say "Well we tried listing it on the MLS but it didn't sell, so I'll just buy it from you myself so you don't have to worry about it any more." I'm sure there are investors with licenses that do that, but then they aren't buying it as an agent they're buying it as investors... in which case they'll be looking for the same discounted price as any wholesaler or rehabber. I certainly have never heard and doubt I will ever hear an agent say "I'll just buy it from you myself at full list price to get it off your back."
Another thing, and the reason most motivated sellers don't bother with agents, is that wholesalers buy FAST. Listing with an agent can take months or even years before selling. The thing about "motivated sellers" is that they're motivated. They need to sell their houses and usually don't have the time or financial ability to sit around and twiddle their thumbs waiting for offers. As an agent you can say "Let's list the house and hope to sell quickly. If it doesn't sell in a few weeks we'll drop the price and keep our fingers crossed." As a wholesaler you can say "Let's get this house under contract TODAY and you'll have the burden off your shoulders in 30 days or less."
I've seen you mention that wholesalers usually take larger fees for themselves than an agent would. It's the same principle as buying something you need brand new and paying for next day shipping when you order an item you need. You can try craigslist and get the thing free or super cheap, but there's no guarantee the thing even works. Or you can pay the price for brand new and pay extra for expedited shipping. Not only do you know you're getting exactly what you need but you know for a fact you'll have it in your hand on Tuesday. If it's something that you need and time is of the essence, it's worth the price. I'm not justifying those that intentionally lowball the seller just for $5k or $10k more profit (and that goes for wholesalers and investors alike). But to imply that agents are better for a seller purely because they may cost less is silly and doesn't account for the actual reasons wholesalers work in the first place.
It seems like your issue is more that most wholesalers don't have that little piece of paper and someone else to split their commissions with.
I do totally understand your vendetta against BAD wholesalers however.