In the past, GTA Online DLCs tended to include some more expensive items here and there that would either be entirely optional or would generally be considered worth their immense price tag. Usually, they weren't central to a new gameplay mechanic, and even if they were, they granted access to jobs that would turn a profit relatively quickly in a straightforward manner.
Then Import/Export came along and things got a tad out of hand. Now, it isn't as bad as the community outcry would have you believe — the community outcry always blows things out of proportion — but prices in Import/Export are exaggerated, there is no doubt about that.
Previous examples of extremely overpriced content were the Luxor Deluxe, Lowrider vehicles, yachts and executive offices. The Luxor Deluxe is a 10 million gold-plated jet which is completely and utterly useless beyond being a status symbol — probably like such a vehicle would be in real life. It didn't grant access to important content, nor was is the main focus of a given update.
In the case of custom vehicles tricked out at Benny's, fully upgraded customs were, again, entirely optional. They were cool to look at and served to show off one's in-game wealth, but not owning one didn't wall off major bits of in-game content. It was a flashy bit of virtual memorabilia to look at for a while before storing in your garage.
The yachts were a different matter. They cost less than the Luxor Deluxe but had a whole lot more functionality and notably unlock the Piracy Prevention mission. Unless you bought the most expensive option — instead of the objectively superior middle-classyacht — you probably didn't end up regretting it.
Then you had the executive offices, which were the first time things were a bit swanky. These offices start at one million, and are required to partake in CEO missions. Warehouses are additionally required for crate missions and you'll need to buy up stock too; meaning that getting into the crate business required a minimum one and a half million $GTA starting investment.
Many players expected to make a return on this within hours and when reality crashed into their skulls like the sledgehammer of the gods, they were a tad pissed. After ideal methods were discovered for the running of crates these missions quickly became recognized as the best way to make money in GTA Online, but it still takes some effort to make a profit on such a high investment.
