you know, from what I hear from people I know, from what I see in stores, and what I see in advertising, the whole business side of "searching for the bicycle seat that is comfortable" thing is probably a big money maker for bike stores and companies. There is always newer and better, and while I have absolutely no issue with new stuff and finding better ways to make things more efficient or more comfortable, my take on it (and this topic of the cost of a given bike seat) is that lots and lots and lots of people buy different seats over the years trying to find one that works for them.

Absolutely there is no given seat that works for everyone, but I strongly suspect tons of people have spent reasonable money on a seat that ends up getting replaced long before it is worn out because they buy and try a different one. Idealy folks will spend X dollars on one that works well and use it for years and years, but I figure loads of people spend 2x, or 3x looking for "the one", and the advertising certainly helps this along.

No diff I guess than with bikes, or cars, or whatever in our consumer society.