I used to wear Dr. Martin's. Not cheap. Price or construction. They would last 6 months before the soles started to separate.
I'm on my first pair of Vivo Ra. Its been over a year of everyday wear. The leather uppers have just gotten softer, and the minimal sole has held up. I don't believe these are constructed "cheap"ly.
I'll see your "I've seen worse" and raise it "I've seen much better."
Best minimal shoe I've ever owned is Firefly Influence, a chukka-style sneaker manufactured in Europe with 4mm sidewalled outsoles, no midsole and a disposable 1mm insole, with suede leather uppers and an imported US retail tag of $55. They lasted 18 months of daily wear on concrete and other abrasive surfaces.
If you're going to make a shoe with no midsole or "support" structure, you're going to save big money on raw materials, period. I don't believe for a minute that Vivo's production costs justify the price no matter how long they last. There are two reasons they get away with it:
1) their target market doesn't really know any better, and
2) nobody else is making a better product yet.
The reason for 2) is that there's little overlap between those who want an honest minimally-constructed shoe, and the suckers who want a "barefoot" shoe. The second group being inherently foolish, they don't mind high prices because it helps them believe in the product's supposed magic. Those of us who know
there is no such thing as a "barefoot shoe" and no justification for the absurd price are a small minority, so legitimate shoe manufacturers aren't interested in making anything for us.
I've tried to get Firefly to sell me another pair of the Influence, but they are out of production and their representatives can't seem to recall ever having manufactured or sold them. I just looked up the Vivo Gobi on amazon, which lists product origin, and they are indeed made in China. They've got the unpopular colors on sale for $75, but that still can't beat the Influence which was exactly the same shoe but with a better outsole, cheaper, and manufactured in Europe not China.