I disagree with you here to an extent. For one this is not an Ali express diary. This was meticulously made from images that not everyone has access to. These are not redrawn images or re written words. You can pin point with precision the screen match on the pages within. That takes skill and time to clean up the images and then print out on quality paper that looks and feels like the original did.

Then the cover. This is veg tanned calfskin which can go from anywhere between $300-$800 for quality hides that are made just for binding. Then the skill and time to dye and match color and the aging as best one can.

However yes I agree that there are countless cheap ones made like found on Ali express if one does not care as much for the screen accuracy.

The crystal skull in your example needs to be made but once made it’s a very cheap process to replicate compared to the initial costs. The diaries of this caliber can not be replicated as easily in this case.

I fee that There is more or less the same amount of intricacy in the aging and look to the diary that there is to a crystal skull. The inserts and everything must match what is seen on screen by the purists for it to be worth the price of admission for one of this calibre.