Not sure I would call that a rip off, you are getting something quite different. For hobbyists that actual paint and build mini's, you are looking at a lot of factors. Whereas, if it is strictly a piece to put on your table for gameplay, then yeah buy the cheaper prepainted ones. I bought a whole tube of monsters that were like plastic soldiers for about $20 for table use. But my modeling activities are a different story, I want highly detailed, specific miniatures in kits. My goal here is entirely different.
Yeah, tenbones, sadly at the time, Forgeworld was the only thing going that produced something of that size and quality. I do believe GW/Forgeworld are largely overpriced compared to most others, but you are often paying for the IP as much as the actual mini, and fortunately, I am in a position to pay that when a mini really strikes my fancy.