To my mind, the F-Trap just seems to be becoming more and more conspicuous by the year. I get it - some players want to feel a part of the brand and its incredible legacy, some want to own and trade collector's pieces and some just don't know what else is out there because their local shop has such a poor range of stock.
In my experience, Fenders are sometimes excellent, often fine and sometimes terrible; I don't think they're consistent enough and I'd certainly not buy one sight unseen. But the prices are astonishing, all for fewer options and often sketchier QC than the multitude of available equivalents. The company seems to actively avoid innovation and puts very little effort into marketing new products and yet the trap still works, possibly better than ever. The power of strong branding, eh...