GBC just got a whole lot more expensive

This weekend I logged into the Lego Shop @ Home website to see if the Replacement parts store had re-opened after the annual Winter holiday shutdown.  Yes it's back up, and I'm sad to say that GBC balls are 25% more expensive then last year!

As well they only have the orange balls in stock.   Which has been the case ever since I started building GBC's in 2016 (I have never seen the white balls in stock).  This makes the lego balls cost more than many other pieces that I consider essential to GBC modules.

I'm at a loss trying to figure out how a small lego ball would cost more then a large 1x5x11 Technic panel (flat panel in the above image), which I assume is harder to mold, takes up more storage space, and would cost more to ship.

I'm really curious as to why the cost of the balls is so high.  It couldn't be something as simple as profit, could it?