Price algorithms do have their reasons from the sellers' point of view. If you are willing to play the game, all will be happy.

But: one of ten ukuleles from mass production is hopelessly mis-fretted, many others are barely tolerable. If you buy without thorough trying (by someone who knows how to do it), you risk huge disappointments. Particularly fatal if you buy it as a present for a beginner. It is not a question of cheap vs. expensive.