Are joysticks expensive now?

I want to try the new MS Flight Simulator, and I was looking for a cheap joystick since I’m not enough of a flight sim enthusiast to justify more than about $50. I can’t find anything cheaper than this:

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Funny thing is that looks exactly like the one I used back in the day for Mech Warrior etc, and there’s no way my parents paid that much (adjusting for inflation, obvs) for a joystick for me.

I remember a ton of cheap $20-$50 joysticks being available about 10 years ago. Is that just not A Thing anymore, or is this because of COVID + new MS Flight Sim?