Shiftlock
Enlightened
Wicked isn't bringing you a good deal, they're capitalizing on a cheap laser with a cheap diode. It probably costs them $50 apiece to build (if that).
You're right when you say "if that." I bet WL is getting these diodes right from Nichia for a few bucks per. Think about the price Casio must be getting them for to sell a projector for $600 wholesale that has 24 of them. With all the other parts, manufacturing/distribution costs, advertising, etc., in order to be turning a profit, they have to be paying well under $10 each for the blue diodes. With over 50k orders for these lasers, plus stock for future orders, WL must have purchased nearly as many diodes as Casio has, if not more, so they have to be getting the same deal. And, with the cost of Chinese manufacturing, they're probably turning out the hosts for a few bucks each as well. Overall, it wouldn't surprise me if their total cost is around $20/unit, and a good part of that is probably advertising, with the large ads for the blue Arctic that they've been putting in major magazines like Popular Science and Popular Mechanics.
You're also right about how WL set their price. It isn't based on their manufacturing cost, it's based on what the market will bear. In other words, how much people are willing to pay for these lasers. When the demand at $199 was so insane that WL couldn't keep up, they raised the price to $299. It's simple supply and demand economics.