people like us buy socks to play in but gloves are bought (in theory) to get autographed and put in a display case, same with sticks and jerseys can be worn to games or hung on the wall. in other words, they're selling this stuff as memorabilia not as equipment.
Good point... I'm not a collector either, everything I buy, I intend to use...
It sucks to see collectors drive up the prices of stuff we just want to use.