Why are speaker stands so expensive?!

I’m not sure what you consider to be expensive, but I’m a big fan of Kanto SX22 and Kanto SX26 speaker stands. Both the 22” and 26” models come in black or white. There’s a lot I like about them.

• They are made of thick metal, and they can also be sand-filled. Once so, they weigh about 40lbs.
• They come with innovative isolation feet whose spikes easily pull off to reveal silicone footers for hard floors.
• They come with two different sized plates to accommodate both large and small sized standmount speakers.
• they have a cable hiding mechanism, if your speaker cables can fit.

https://www.kantoaudio.com/speaker-accessories/sx-series/

The next question is why buying bookshelves and stands when you can get towers.

The stand mount TAD speakers reviewed in last month's Stereophile retail for $32,500 and do not include stands. If you want their version, add another $2500! You'd think for that money, the stands would be included but I guess the people that can afford the speakers won't quibble about another two and a half thousands dollars. 

These are affordable and solid. You can fill the stands with shot or sand for more rigidity. The spikes and saucers are a nice addition as well. Good luck

https://www.standsandmounts.com/speakerstands.aspx

Pangea from Audio Advisor  they used to have a $300 stand and I would spray a bit of sealer foam in the bottom cavity  then screw the plate on ,uthen go to home depot and buy a bag of washed,dryed play sand filll it 3/4 then more spray foam  then screw the top on , it’s then solid and absorbs vibration even better.