Yes pretty sure it happens buyers believe you get what you pay for many think if you pay top dollar you get the best
Cricket must be a real catch 22 for brands when trying to decide their prices.
As you say people think paying more means better quality, but I've heard so many people claim "I'd never spend over £300 on a bat".
Let's take New Balance and Slazenger as an example, as they're made in the same place.
New Balance throw money around to sponsor big names and people will look at their kit. They offer a "Limited Edition" model of their bats with an RRP of £650 (the can be bought for a mere £500). The perception is then "*insert sponsored players name here* uses these and there's a Limited Edition model, they must be decent"
How many people do you know who would actually drop £500 on a bat though (excluding the owner of two GN Pro Performances)?
Because there is a silly priced model their lower grade bats priced between £140 and £300 look a bargain, and a lot of those sell, as they are still perceived to be decent.
Would the people who buy these New Balance bats even look twice at the cheaper Slazenger in the same (or possibly a better) grade of willow? I doubt it as Slazenger is seen as "a Sports Direct brand" these days. It's amazing that people will pay a lot more for stickers on one bat than another when they both came from the same factory, but that's just how it is with cricket these days I guess.