I agree with you 100% about the prices. They're an outrage and take small, but VERY substantial, bites out of our bank accounts.
But it is exactly the diehard collectors who Topps is targeting. Who else would spend this kind of money? And as long as we keep doing so - and I'm foolishly about to do so again in five minutes - Topps is going to continue with this gimmick. 290 Trump Scouts Cookies were sold at $10.00 a pop. That's 3 grand! And that's just one card out of what? Hundreds so far? Overall, Topps is raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars! They're on a roll!
Yeah, it's killing me, too. Perhaps they'll stop once everyone has become thoroughly disgusted, disenchanted, and just plain bled dry.
Postscript: You'll notice, though, the sales numbers have decreased from what they once were a month ago on the $9.99 cards. Maybe Topps will pick up on the message and get the hint? Really don't know.