Unfortunately comments like:
* doesn't involve an ongoing parasite tax on your sales
* doesn't involve selling your first born to pay for the development
* Image sales on the web is a brave new world and there is no shortage of developers who want more than they deserve for their effort.
come across as seeking someone cheap, and that web developers generally are parasites and overcharge! Maybe it is a case of miscommunication or poor choice of wording, but it is what is reflected back in the answers from several members in this thread. So any replies that fit your 'it seems that assumption rules', are just replying to the wording you have given us. So rather than assume everyone else is wrong, maybe a quick review of your own posts might reveal why assumptions were made.