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A mezuzah used to cost a zuz, which made it inexpensive (a zuz was a minute amount of currency).
Today a mezuzah scroll is relatively more expensive, at least that is according to a rabbi from an online shiur.
Another rabbi on an online shiur said that the cost of mezuzot would go down if there was a higher demand for Jewish items, such as mezuzot and other kilay ha’kodesh (that’s the term right?)
A zuz was never a minute amount of money. 200 zuz was an amount someone could live on for a year.
Mezuzos generally remain kosher for years and therefore are generally not replaced often. For example, most of the mezuzos in my house are 30 years old and when recently checked only one (out of 13) needed to be replaced. So I am not sure that the reason it is expensive is because of lack of demand; I bought most of my mezuzos for $50 – $75; at the time the “smallest” and least expensive ones were $25 and are the ones that generally have to be replaced earlier as the smaller the osiyos (letters) are written leads to them “cracking” due to the way the mezuzos are rolled.
Unfortunately, the rabbi in the on-line shiur knows nothing about business.
Mass produced items can drop in cost when large quantities are produced on mechanized assembly lines and the raw products purchased at bulk discount prices.
This does not apply to hand made/produced artisinal products. A mezuzah takes a qualified sofer X amount of time to write. If he has orders for 1000 instaed of 100 the time required for each scroll does not decrease.
The sofer can only produce so much product per day and he needs to price them to provide a living for himself and his family.This is not like running a machine and extra two hours a day to turn out another 1,000 stamped stainless steal forks or spoons.
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