I hear you. It just drives me nuts the way people talk about pricing on some of these items. My briefcase was expensive on a normal scale. It was also a hell of a lot cheaper than buying something with a high-end designer name attached to it.
But it’s made out of one piece of leather so thick that it will probably still be in use in 4 generations if someone wants it. And it only gets better looking by the year. I get that not everyone can do the upfront costs, but it often ends up costing you less over the course of your life to just spend the money once on quality.