I'm well aware of how markets work, but that doesn't make it less bonkers. Bottled water companies take municipal water, do some "filtering", and sell it for a 10x-100x markup. I'm sure the people buying the water thinks they're getting their money's worth, but that doesn't mean we can't point out how absurd it is, nor is " in most markets, price is a function of the value perceived by buyers and relative pricing of similar products" a satisfying counterargument to that.

I don’t see what’s absurd about paying a buck for the convenience of bottled water when and where you want it.

Or paying $15 for a year of someone keeping a content blocker up to date.

Maybe you are completely desynchronized from what people find valuable.

That you start valuing software at $0 because someone is producing it for free is a sad part of open source.