You are paying for the feeling of belonging to the community.

Think about it - any organization you belong to, who is shelling out the time and money? The new guys. They are the ones that buy the products, that give to the charitable fund, that put in the extra time and effort, that debate the path of the organization they just joined. The old-timers are secure in their position, and just don't bother anymore.

Back in High School, we used this to our advantage. The worst offenders were the Seniors, selling elevator passes to Freshman (needless to say, there was no elevator). But as a Student Council member, we exploited the Freshman's need to belong every month. We charged them for the dances, we sold t-shirts for every event, we made them sell raffle tickets, etc., etc. I spent the time and money when I was a Freshman, and Freshman after me will do the same. It wasn't horrible exploitation, though - we did pump all that money back into pep rallies, better dances, better events, and the scholarship fund (this was a private high school).

What disturbed me was joining a Fraternity in college, and seeing the same process on a nation scale. So much cash flowing to the national organization, without anything flowing back. It's almost the perfect scheme - the new kids, looking to belong, come along every year, and by the time they are old and cynical, they leave.

Still, if it helps independant developers make a buck and keep innovating, then keep doing it. And now you'll know why three years from now you feel reluctant to spend $5 on a good shareware program.