All cover prices are recommended prices to begin with. Any shop can charge whatever they choose for a given book–which is why certain shops can offer discounts for subscribers and club members.
In the case of variants, they are relatively rare, and so their price tends to get marked up based on their scarcity.
kami-izanami liked this
carlosjdrew liked this Variant covers exist because publishers worked out that most comic shops that have been around for a long time base...