Rather, it’s a principle issue, a concept which shouldn’t be elusive but clearly, some are unfamiliar with.
What "principle" is this? That self-interested you thinks you should get confirmations for free?
I'm familiar with "principles". What I am also familiar with is when the self-interested
pretend to principles that are actually overwhelmingly self-interested.
Tell yourself whatever makes you sleep at night. You're self-interested as hell here.
The fact that people can and do pay these fees show that "principle" isn't at issue.
If there was this grave principle at stake, we'd all refuse to pay and all QSLs would be via the buro. That's not been true any time this last 30 years.
There's a guy out there who wants 10 bucks for a confirmation. Well, it's not worth 10 bucks to me. But I don't pretend there's any
principle behind my refusal. He just won't get my money and I will somehow manage without that confirmation. I
will pay 3 to 5 bucks, especially for multiple bands. So do most of us.
The way to keep prices down is to simply refuse to pay. It may take 11 years to work someone else more reasonable -- or we may have to give up on that band country altogether. So, do it if it's over your pain threshold.
But stop pretending there's any virtue here. Hobby or not, there's a marketplace for confirmations. It is rough and ready like many markets. But it very obviously exists. Each DX makes their own decision about whether and how much revenue they want to collect to offset their expenses, which are greater than yours. Each of his "clients" makes their own call about whether it is worth the money by whatever they cherish.
There's no "principle" when it looks exactly like a thousand other transactions we do in the rest of our life.