Domains have always been a business, otherwise .com domains would be free, the fact that the opening bid is 185k reflects even more that domains are a business.
You can still get a good 2nd level domain for way less than 185k, just look for it.
Also, depending on your country, some domains are free, for ex., in my country .edu.mx is free for schools, and .gob.mx is free for government.
The free .tk domains also exist, because the government of Tokelau Islands found better to use the TLD as tourism advertisement.
At the end of the day, the gTLDs are a good thing, because the value of domains like sex.com won't be $12 million anymore, you can get sex.<anythingelse> for way less.
You can still get a good 2nd level domain for way less than 185k, just look for it.
Also, depending on your country, some domains are free, for ex., in my country .edu.mx is free for schools, and .gob.mx is free for government.
The free .tk domains also exist, because the government of Tokelau Islands found better to use the TLD as tourism advertisement.
At the end of the day, the gTLDs are a good thing, because the value of domains like sex.com won't be $12 million anymore, you can get sex.<anythingelse> for way less.