I think that @Woodinblack‘s point is that the price of the bass to some people can be irrelevant or very relevant.
£300 could be someone selling a body part as you say, but similarly £3k could be chump change to someone.
As to buying and not liking and moving a guitar on, it keeps the second hand market flowing!
What is more head scratching is if a bass is up £3k and someone offers £2999 and it’s rejected.
Why offer that to start with and why reject it?!