I truly understand your argument, I just think the ecosystem is fine and well balanced. Users do a good job of reviewing addons and helping other users make informed decisions.
I’ve probably spent over $500 in the sim already between addon aircraft and airports, but with over 1K hours in sim I feel I’m still getting a good value.
A 2 hour movie will set you back $20 which is $10 per hour. My 1000 hours in sim would equate to $0.50 per hour and because most devs offer good post launch support in time my investment will have an even better ROI.