It's entirely because the demand for replacement parts cannibalizes the demand for new refrigerators. If they can sell you a plastic shelf for $100 with a 99% margin, for them that's like selling you half a refrigerator.
Just wait until your model has been long discontinued but the remaining replacement parts have been sitting on the shelf experiencing every across-the-board price increase for years.
When prices started out not just expensive but beyond that overpriced to boot.
When prices started out not just expensive but beyond that overpriced to boot.