You aren't just paying a "bit" more but literally 2X-3X more than D2C Chinese wheels which at this point are also UCI certified, can be lighter, having more cutting edge specs and components and a handful of these companies now have service centers and warehouses in different regions now, so the idea you are just buying the equivalent to bike ewaste once something breaks or has to be serviced is simply wrong. These are not the Aliexpress or clones you saw years back, but now legitimate companies. My only other negative I can think of with D2C Chines brands is just liability, but like anything in America it comes down to how much money and time you have to peruse litigation to begin with even with a big Western brand, so IMO who cares?