Originally Posted by
Drew Eckhardt
They're not.
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I paid $54 for my B&M USB-Werk including a small cache battery, ordered direct from Germany where dynamo lighting systems are required on all bicycles weighing over 11kg.
You're seeing high prices because you're shopping in the American market where dynamo powered USB power supplies are a luxury item (mainstream market alternative: USB power packs) for a small niche market.
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It is not just dynohubs and lighting that cost more in USA. The USA market for parts has too many high-profit-margin hands on every transaction. Before Ortlieb put a stop to their European dealers shipping to USA, I bought my Ortliebs from Europe, one of my Tubus racks, my Rohloff hub (that by itself saved me about $500), etc.
I built up another bike this past spring, from Europe I bought the SP Dynamo, Luxos U, a RackTime rack, one disc brake unit, rear Shimano hub, headset, Brooks saddle and a few other parts.
The last time I bought Rohloff oil, I paid less than half as much as I would have paid in USA by buying it from Germany.
There is a small tariff on imported bike parts from Europe that the distribution channels have to pay, but it is minuscule compared to the high markups that they charge.