Go capitalism. People will buy what they want (and can afford). I have handled and used high-end originals and they were great. I own clones that work every bit as well as high-end mods, and handled some clones that were of questionable (or even downright bad) quality. If you are thinking about getting a clone (counterfeit, replica, whatever) then do your homework or you could end up with one that doesn't meet your expectations.
I have Hcigar clones of the King mod ($50) and the Sentinel M16 ($36), as well as a FT clone of the RaiVapes Launcher V2 ($20). All work great, minimal voltage drop and performed as expected out of the box. I have read here on ECF that other clones require some tinkering to get to work properly, although mine were good to go on day 1. I did put some dental floss around the threads of my M16 clone's firing button so it wouldn't back out during use, so you may consider that "tinkering". Took me 2 minutes and was virtually free... a small price to pay for reliable performance.
Of the mods I own, my favorite is actually the cheapest... the FT Launcher V2. It worked as well as any high-end original I have ever tried. Solid copper pins, heavy construction, good materials, smooth threads, tight tolerances, great finish and the firing button is better than anything else I have tried.
Ultimately, these mech mods are battery tubes. I am comfortable paying up to $50 for a battery tube, but I would have serious reservations about paying $200+ for one. Somebody with more time than money, who was reasonably handy, and possessing a fundamental understanding of electricity and mechanics could build their own mod with inexpensive parts in a few hours... this is not rocket science.
I personally have no interest in collectibility of vaping gear. I can understand collecting cars, guns, watches, wines and coins... but vaping gear for me is not about collecting. It is about utility. I couldn't care less if my equipment is a clone or not, as long as it works reliably and safely. That said, other folks are into collecting this stuff and I respect that. A collector can justify dropping $200 on an original mod. The price of any commodity will be based on supply and demand.