Most people are not buying a new $800 phone every year or trading in a perfectly fine vehicle every 2-3 years. There are cases where kids on outrageous cell phone plans get a phone subsidized but that's about a status symbol. Few people consider a jack stand a status symbol. Okay maybe a half dozen here or on GJ, lol, among the millions of owners.
If you mean most rich people who act on impulse, that sort of person tends not to repair their own vehicles unless it's their pride and joy, sports car that they aren't trading in that often or else they wouldn't be working on it themselves.
It is contrary to evidence to suggest that paying $350 is some kind of guarantee something won't fall and kill you opposed to any properly made product costing much less. It is a very rare thing for the average jack stand to fail *when used properly* (same as any tool), outside of this unique situation recently with the defective HF stands. It is almost always user error when no defects are present.
What do I care if my stands can only safely hold twice what I'd ever put on them or 4X? They just need to be stable, with min and max adjustments that suit the job.
Can you demonstrate any major brand jack stand where it can't hold more than rated and "some guy in the marketing department" just decided to put a false label on? A little more steel to meet a rating is very inexpenisve compared to the liability of products failing unless they are from some generic 3rd party overseas that feels insulated from liability.
There are some reasons to get a special stand configuration, for example a wider base or at least feet with a horizontal pad on the bottom to use on less level or softer surfaces, or a different saddle if the vehicles need support that matches the lift points.
