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I've always considered parts falling into three categories...OEM, better than OEM, and worse than OEM...or to put it differently, there's a baseline (OEM) as well as inferior and superior. Given this, OEM isn't the "gold standard" but it's the "known standard" whereas quality of other parts are subjective and opinion can be swayed by reviews, marketing and hyperbole...all of which making decisions difficult. Personally, if I'm either being lazy or have no reference point to gauge quality, I buy OEM, if I have time (or interest) to research, or if I have some knowledge of the function of the item, I try to buy "superior to OEM"...but I'll admit that I have bought some items thinking that they are "superior" only to find out that they aren't.
Price is another monster...cheap (usually) means inferior, but expensive doesn't necessarily mean superior; additionally some superior items can be less expensive than OEM and some inferior items (maybe smart marketing) can be more expensive than OEM. Point is that price has nothing to do with quality, but if your looking to buy "at a price point" I suppose to each their own (although I never would). Finally, regarding the "Porsche tax"...they charge what they can (or want) and how that price is determined is a mystery...I suppose there's a lot factored into their pricing, or maybe it's just a monkey throwing darts at a board with numbers on it. Are their parts overpriced? Maybe, or maybe not....but it is the "known" on the quality spectrum.
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