This! This right here is why I keep saying that people shouldn’t be judged just for buying stuff. This is why both sides of the blame game are wrong.
You have people saying that those who buy from the Bazaar are “unreformable” or “hooked on that instant gratification mindset” or even implying that they’re stupid. This is wrong for at least two important reasons. One is that you don’t know why people are buying stuff, and if you don’t know what’s on their mind, who are you to call them stupid or unreformable? The other is that there is an important imbalance of power between the buyers and the seller: the buyer is free to dictate the terms, and the sellers can only exercise their power collectively.
So no, if you find the Bazaar items to be overpriced, you don’t get to blame others who buy from it. You can say they reinforce Funcom’s pricing, but you don’t get to judge them for it, because you don’t know them, and because they’re not in control, Funcom is. If you want to hurl mud at someone, know who your target is.
And then, on the other side of the blame fence, you have people who claim that you shouldn’t be allowed to complain about the prices if you’re buying from Bazaar. Some do it in a rational, but misguided manner, while others do it with utter contempt for anyone who disagrees with them, but they’re both wrong.
This attitude reminds me of the old bullshіt claim that “if you can afford an iPhone or an iPad, then you shouldn’t be on welfare”. Again, you don’t get to judge. It’s not a “mixed signal” or “hypocrisy” or any of the self-righteous crap you want to hurl at these people. You don’t know them, and you don’t get to decide whether they deserve to spend some money on an item in the game or whether they’re allowed to complain about prices in general afterwards.