You said you did not find it odd that a $100 set of balls was the same quality as a $300 one due to the design. I don't see how a pool ball set can be marketed at three times the price of another form the same maker if the quality is the same on both. It's way more than paying "a little more".
The quality in pool balls vs price does not really follow the same thing as cues which are often sold by the design as much as the construction quality.
It seems you are saying if set A was 100 and set B was 300 but you liked how B looked better you can justify the huge increase in price based on looks alone? I just don't see how such a huge price difference can be only due to the design of the set vs material and quality control steps.
The Tungsten set is under $60, Bronze is $100, the Silver is $170, the Platinum are $330, there is no way they are all the same quality or construction. You seem to be saying that if they are all the same quality the $330 set is justified that on looks? If the other poster(s) are correct and they are indeed all made the same, you can get the same quality as the $330 top end set for $60. That is pretty much unheard of. With any other pool ball maker there is a clear difference even between their $100 and $150-200 sets and another clear step from 150 to the 250-300 sets.
The modern mindset is different. People have no issue buying a $1200 or more iphone or other cell phone. To many, $100 or $300 means not much, I've literally seen people pay more than that to pick a different color on their cell phone. Think automotive paint.
The only difference is supposed to be the intricacy of the design on the balls. It's obvious to see that the tungsten has less colors, so less of a process to make them. Less resin mixing, less parts in the mold or however they make them.
It might not make sense for the quality to be the same, but many consumers no longer "value shop." They just buy what they like the looks of, and often they like the looks of a higher priced item just because the higher price signals quality or exclusivity to them.
EDIT: As someone said earlier in the thread, they can't have just cheap balls, or they are seen as just another crappy company not worth trying. They can't have just high price sets because at that point people will just buy aramith and not take a chance on a new manufacturer. It kind of makes sense to have a different price range, even if they are the same formula and QC.
I once bought a set of $5 "MONK" earbuds. Best sounding earbuds I've ever heard, it's nuts. The company also sells very expensive headphones. If I wanted an expensive set, I might go with them since I found their "cheap" ones to be so good. Basically they can sell the more expensive ones if people are impressed with the cheap ones. It's kind of word of mouth advertising in the modern age. One bad review can ruin a company, so why risk getting a bad review by making something that plays like crap? Much better for even your cheap sets to blow away the competition.
Imagine buying a midrange set of Aramith for $150, then you play on a $60 set of tungstens at your buddy's house. The $60 set plays way better than your $150 set. Now you have some extra money to buy gear. Would you risk buying an expensive set from another manufacturer, when you know the makers of the $60 care so much about their cheap set? It would be much more logical to buy the ones where you felt the great quality at $60. If you have more than $60 to spend, that same manufacturer that you know has quality also sells more expensive sets, so why not buy them and "treat yo self."
Their pricing model makes them seem like they want everyone to play with top tier equipment, not just another old company who will sell good stuff along with crap to sell it for cheap. If you're able to make the best product, why would you sully your brand by making cheap sets with lower quality and worse resin as the competition does? I love this thinking, make the BEST at everything you do, or don't do it at all. By having your cheaper stuff less quality, it dilutes your brand.
If a cue company makes cheap beginner cues that are abysmal quality, once you outgrow it, you're more likely to buy a different brand, as the one you just used was crappy. No use taking a chance that their higher end models are the same abysmal quality.