Limited runs are a ploy on their part? What’s your proof? If it was to create hype... doubtless the limited availability has created hype. But the 789 got largely rave reviews from the very beginning before the trickle of manufacturing batches, and by now my guess is that if they had secured sufficient components and manufacturing capacity from the very beginning they would have sold many more units... while you postulate it was a ploy on their part, I postulate it was an error on their part.
Everything else you said usually I don't buy it, if I were to buy something from them its only if its a in stock item. I understood the wait times before when the site was basically a group buy site for mostly niche products. At this point though they are selling a lot of very popular stuff..I mean the HD6xx for example multiple large tech sites talkin about it and the great deal it was.
the 789 was in stock for a few months at the end of last year, as was the 6xx, the SDAC and a few other things I know because I was watching them. You could buy an 789 and have int at your door in 2 or 3 days. All of sudden around january they vanished, along with the 6xx and the SDAC oddly enough. After that there only small drops for the 789 with long lead times and they would sell out in a matter of minutes.....yes when theyw ree zxtcokced people wehrre talking about them, but once they were gone everyone was talking about them like it was some mythical creature. People were trying to sell them for outrageous prices on ebay. There were like 60k requests for a new drop on the site. I mean there is the proof..it sat in stock for months,.even amid all the great reviews they seemed to have enough of them, people were buying them. Now with the "limited" drops they are gone in minutes...every time.
I mean I don't even really care about the price hike...I think they half assedly explained it any some point..gave some wishy washy reason so yeah its probably just to squeeze a few more bucks out of people...they did it with the 6xx too...but I don't know I guess I find that less egregious...