Yeah I know that they are that expensive in some places. It's still pretty insane. I never doubted that they were that high. I've looked around at uncuts sheets many times before and seen the prices. I just can't imagine somebody paying that much for one.
An object or service is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. No more, no less. And that someone isn't usually going to be the one with the lowest offer! It may stink for the uncut sheet collector, but it is what it is. The entire card collecting market and hobby is entirely a luxury pursuit.
Yeah I know that is true. But saying that everytime somebody talks about prices really doesn't make sense. If I made a deck and printed it at 3 bucks a deck and sold it for 15 dollars a deck you all would make a big deal about it. The fact is that the price is pretty dang high for an uncut.
...and if people stop buying it at that price, you'll see the price drop. Look at those Big Gun reprints - from a high of $50 a pair, sold only in pairs, limit five per person, blah blah blah, to a closeout of $0.99 a pack, buy as many as you want, we're dumping these like three-week-old bread! It's an extreme example, but in general the market follows this rule.
Your $15 deck might be worth it because it's that beautiful. Or not. Your ability to sell it at $15 a pack is predicated on people's willingness to buy it at $15 a pack. I've seen new decks cost way more and still sell.
The market forces that are irksome for you are that 1) uncut sheets are rare and limited commodities, and 2) demand for them is strong enough that there are people out there willing to pay a high price. As people are more and more willing to pay strong after-market prices for these things, more of the people creating them will see this as an opportunity for them and raise their initial sale price. It's not because their costs went up - it's because they can, period, and still manage to sell them.
Sooner or later, though, you squeeze the golden goose long and hard enough, you don't get any more golden eggs. The market hasn't reached that point yet.