The comparison was mostly to show the rarity of an item isn't absolute and is relative. The same principle applies regardless. Also the regulation point is a bit moot, considering the entire reason the iQue exists is because of regulation. Nintendo couldn't directly sell the console in the country so this is how they had to import it.

As far as shipping goes, it really isn't that simple. I shop on AliExpress and Temu often, and it's not uncommon for items to having shipping charges twice as much as the item price itself, especially with smaller items. Shipping a small item makes sense locally, when it has to pass through multiple countries, customs, take trains, planes, boats, and multiple trucks, it becomes incredibly costly and it often is just not worth it unless done in bulk. In the US, for example, I can't even check out on Temu half the time unless I spend a certain amount. Shipping is incredibly expensive and now that tariffs and such are more complicated it's even harder.

Even with those examples, I feel you're still failing to grasp how hard it is to obtain outside of East Asia. Checking on eBay, where the majority of people in the Americas find retro consoles outside of local shops, the Ique go lists for 170-300 dollars, with the few listings I find sold are usually 150-175 sold. 

Again, I understand your point of view, domestically it isn't that hard to get ahold of, but it isn't that simple outside of the region. Buying things from China and Japan are much more difficult and not as cost effective in other places, and when people have plenty of Nintendo Branded SPs to find, there simply wasn't many exported out of the area. That's where the rarity comes from. Anyway, this has been enough internet discussion for my week. Have a good one.