I think you’re mistaking value for cost. ljdawson doesn’t work for us and sync is not work for hire. Lawrence is not a contractor nor do we have an employer/employee relationship so we don’t owe him a wage for the work he has done or compensation for his time. We have a customer/vendor relationship, and the only thing that matters to the customer is the value of the end product that the vendor is trying to sell.

This is a fair response, and ultimately it is incumbent on the developer to create the value-add that justifies the cost.

I suppose my comment is directed at the sentiment that the developer is "greedy" or trying to swindle consumers in an immature market.