I can see both sides of the coin regarding variants.
To an average player, variants are too expensive and do not present a logical enough value to warrant spending the amount of money that the community has decided that they are worth. But then, the average gamer who gets Skylanders to play the game does not need the variants, since collecting those is not his or her goal. The variants are not (so far as I know) different characters that lock out any form of major content, so not having them does not cause anyone to incur a gameplay penalty.
On the other hand I see nothing wrong with the existence of variants, nor would I mock those who choose to collect them. Variations of collectibles are an aspect of collecting pretty much anything. In most things a class or value system is frustrating, but in any type of collecting it is essentially expected. There is a certain type of prestige and challenge that comes with obtaining rare or unusual items from within a specific collecting fanbase. It isn't really suppose to make sense or appeal to the average gamer or collector.
Now, even further, I can understand that some people wish they could collect some of the more unique things and simply cannot afford them. That sucks and is the way of things. It is the slippy slope that I myself stand on. My own personal stance regarding collectable advancements for Skylanders, as opposed to pure gameplay enhancements, comes down to how badly I want the item and how much it is. I'm totally fine with getting regular Chill and Legendary LightCore Chill / Flashwing and Jade Flashwing / Hot Dog and Molten Hot Dog... But I am much more hesitant to go after, say, that Employee Prism Break you showed up there, even though it's really pretty. It's not a question of whether it's worth the money on a *general* scale, but rather whether it's worth the money to me. And honestly it isn't--that's half of what I make in a month.
Anyway, this is just my opinion. Great discussion topic, though!