I have a 27yo Helmstetter that has served me quite well....not a cue snob.
Hey, I have a 26 year old Helmstetter! I flirted a few years ago with getting a custom cue and decided it was too much of a hassle. So I changed out the warped shaft with an OB Classic and it's great.
Regarding flippers, the cue makers should simply charge what the market will bear. It makes no sense to sell a cue for $2000 if plenty of people are willing to pay $3000. Just charge $3000. I doubt these custom cue makers are living like Bill Gates; they should be paid for the value they deliver as opposed to charging artificially low prices.