I’m not sure I’d use the term ripoff either, but prime is essentially there to tie people into using amazon. Once you’ve committed the $x/yr for prime it is there to compel you to spend more to make sure you get your money’s worth. Amazon could just as easily lower the prices of what they sell, or the cost of shipping, and not force people to buy in to a “club” membership. In my case I buy one or two things from Amazon a year, and have no interest in their streaming content, so whatever they’re charging these days for prime isn’t worth it.