I consider the runes' initial price as price inflation too. Some people are willing to pay a hefty premium for things immediately. The high prices just cater to the people with cash burning holes in their pockets.

Dragonite bars fetched nearly 20m when Tindirin was first released. It didn't last long. The price slowly settled as the hype also settled. Planar pendant recipes sold for over 30m the first day it was released, but then 20m the next day, until it dropped below 10m in a few weeks.

Point is, price is only an indication of what someone is willing to pay. If you don't like the price, then wait until it drops to a level you deem acceptable and buy then. Right now, people are fine shelling out X amount of gold. All a consumer can do is to vote with his/her dollar.