All online monetization is based on FOMO, exclusivity, timed offers and in baked fake "sales."

There are people whose job it is to calculate the maximum profit break-point and then price things accordingly. You can google it if you want, there are people who have made a career about implementing online monetization. And after ten years of this ***, they have the data and the charts to back their prices, and the limited time offers only model. It's used because it works, and because it brings in the maximum profits.

Housing is no exception to this. Limited availability and the sense of exclusivity are big drivers on how monetization for it is set up.

I mean, the process behind all online monetization goes something like this: "Hey look, a new shiny thingy, only 20 bucks! Buy now, only available for a limited time! Sure it's only worth a tenner at best, but what can ya do, some people are willing to pay that twenty, so thems the breaks and that's the going price. Better buy it before it's gone!"

Then after 6 months or so, it get re-introduced with a big sale slapped on it, and the market spiel goes something like: "Hey lookie it's back, and with a discount too! Now only 15 bucks! It's still overpriced, but hey at least it's cheaper now. You better buy it now or it's gone gone gone. And what's an extra 5 right? You're already willing to dish out a tenner for it, just add a bit more and it's yours. And who knows when it'll come back again, and at what price?" and then they move on to peddle some other new crap.

Then maybe a year later, they bring it back again, full price for a super short duper excursive buying opportunity "The much requested thingie is back for a short exclusive buying period. Better buy it now, just 20 buck and it's yours. YOU better buy it THIS time for sure, 'cause it's gonna be retired for GOOD this time!!! Your LAST CHANCE, better buy it now!"

And that's why all those houses are on a limited time only, super rare exclusivity tracker, for ridiculous amounts of money. It just makes more profit in the end. Without this constant pressure to buy before it's gone, most people would hesitate and think twice about handing out 100 bucks for a virtual house. Most people would just wait for the right time before committing, evaluating their choices and comparing the available options without actually committing the cash. I mean, they can always do it later, right?

Having limited buying windows helps to drive up the price.The first offering is only aimed to those to whom the money is not a question. And I don't mean like filthy rich or anything silly like that. I mean people to whom this game is their primary hobby, who are perfectly willing and capable to drop 300 or so a month on it. People who choose to dump their disposable income on this thing. It makes sense to maximize the profits you can get from them. A lot of people wont buy it at that price, thinking it's too much. But some of them will come to regret that decision, and will pay more than what they consider a "fair" price, should it become available again in the future. And once it goes on sale, you get a lot more people, who were sitting on the fence, to commit: "It's on sale, gotta buy it now before it's too late. Wouldn't want to miss out again now would I?"

And as an added benefit, you might catch some people, who are regretting their decision to not buy it when it was introduced, short on crowns when the short buying window appears. They will face the full brunt of FOMO, and are forced to buy some extra crowns full price to get the thingie. And all prices and profits are calculated on the basis of discount crowns anyway, so getting someone buying full priced crowns, to be able to buy the shiny exclusive limited time only thingie, is just an extra bonus.

Remember, this is a fake market. It is an artificial one set up by ZOS, it is controlled by ZOS and ZOS is the only one who gets to sell stuff on it. Therefore they can manipulate the market to maximize their profits. There is no competition available. So your choices are either to accept it and be milked for money, try to live with it realizing it is not really aimed at marketing stuff for you and act responsibly with your money, or not take part in it at all. ZOS is not gonna change the system, because the one that exists now serves them the best, i.e. it maximizes the profits, and thems truly is the breaks.