Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain !
History shows that secret societies survive best when they fuel suspicions of the uninformed and easily misdirected masses. Everyone knows there is a crafter's cartel, the unreasonable high prices prove it. And, it is pointless to try to figure out just which smokescreen the cartel is hiding behind.
So, how do I join? I suppose I just wait for the cartel to contact me when the time is right, they always do.
As for the tinfoil hats, let that be a lesson in how powerful the secret cabal really is - everyone knows only the Karavan have metal, until now.