The sad part of the situation is that some fees are actually lower than when I entered the business in 2003. This, of course, is due to shoppers accepting the drop in pay. I do not criticize any MSC that is able to lower their expenses. It is the responsibility of self-employed contractors to monitor their profitability.
Although I do not understand some folks reasoning, a classic example were the Shell shops. A company with a market cap of 1/5th+ a trillion dollars, paying $12.50 and requiring 25 pics. I am an advocate of the adage that "one person's meat could be another's poison." To paraphrase Clara Peller though, "Where's the meat?"