Basis Turntables: Worth it or Ripoff?

But they don’t look like much, but have very high prices. 

Then , please , tell us all what you yourself gauge against a product of Basis’ calibre from the base level on up, to even have a reason to ask , or more to the point and truth, make false innuendo in the first place with the term "rip off".
What do YOU , personally own and use now to be so suspect. It must be spectacular in "your" opinion to not see what all others see as precise , quality built AND sounding products, at least as plainly as we see the reason for your post from the get go. If you have to ask a question such as this , I definitely would suggest you, yourself, learn THE BASICS about all things analog and better ways to camouflage your intentions.........................

Value is in the eye of the buyer and user, maybe more so in audio than in any other hobby.  For example, while I have defended Basis Audio products just as most others have done, I too think that SOME (not all) of the Synergistic Research stuff is suspect.  I only mention that to point out that each of us has his or her own threshold for suspending disbelief.

Actually, the used prices for Basis tables seems amazingly low.  
Yes, 5k for a Vector 4 arm is a lot of money, but that seems to be what the traffic will bear for most good arms.  

Most of Basis' models don't look quite as elegant as comparably priced models of some of their competitors.  Basis hardly puts any money into visual aesthetics.  Given that a lot of buyers DO place a lot of value in looks, I can see how Basis loses some "value" points in that department.  Basis excels in other ways.  The build quality is superb and all parts are precisely made to very tight tolerances.  You will not see any wobble at all in the rotation of their platters, for example, something that cannot be said of all tables (if you look really closely).  

Whether or not one will like the sound of their arm/table combinations is also a matter of taste.  Their tables are very much into damping vibration, both external vibration or vibration generated by the table itself or vibration from the stylus tracking a record.  Some systems (and their owner's taste) favor such highly damped tables, some prefer a more lively sound (to detractors, Basis tables sound "dark" or "dead").  

Hence, Basis tables are certainly not a "ripoff," but like any other table, they can be the wrong table for any particular individual.