[mike]

Well, compare their prices to the latest FF lenses ...

I think this is more of a general trend. The sales are collapsing across the whole industry while they have "legacy" cost structures.
It's inevitable that the prices are increasing (plus all players are in constant flux in terms of business restructuring).
Also - lenses aren't electronics - there's barely a downward trend in terms of manufacturing costs once a certain level has been reached.

I will sell a couple of lenses that have been stored in my closet for a while - and I checked their current price levels vs what I paid for them a couple of years back.
Many are substantially more expensive now.

Yeah, I was looking on ebay at some lenses. I was really surprised on the asking prices. For me personally, most were high enough that I would just spend the extra and get new. Strange times indeed.