I work with machining parts for firearms, AR15s in particular, with programming CNC machines with all of the coordinates, different axis angles, changing out drill bits and tooling, and aligning jigs, which have extremely low tolerances, down to about 0.0003, or 3 one-hundred-thousandths, it's pretty precise work. The cost of material, 7075 Aluminum (A pretty pricey aluminum alloy) has little to do with the price of the parts (~$150 for a lower) Now, for making a mod, a basic brass or S/S tube with some threads (which have very loose tolerances, compared to the military specifications I deal with) and add a button, some laser etching, there is no way the cost of production of those high end mods is anywhere near the prices some mods go for, compared to the type of work I deal with, but instead of laser etching, it's engraving a serial number and stamping other numbers into the face of the parts. Along with FFL-7 paperwork involved with every receiver.
The reason is supply : demand. E-Cigs have exploded in popularity in the past few months, and the manufacturers simply cannot keep up with orders, so they raise prices. That is all it is. The cost of materials has little to do with it, the research, and design of new mods has little to do with it, and the time and labor in machining the parts has little to do with it. In America, we have free enterprise, you can put whatever price you'd like on whatever product or service you sell.
