They are exorbitant compared to a typical checking or savings account, or for using a visa card, that's for sure. The service is more involved than that, of course.

Meanwhile, MTGOX is/was pulling in ~$40,000 a day recently by some estimates.

Across the field, expect fees to come down to be more in line with the relatively low costs of running the service, because more markets already have or are coming online, because it has been so wildly profitable recently. It looks like a good business model in a time when those aren't easy to come by, and the profits can get a whole lot more modest before you'd get down to the 'why bother' level.

For now, I'd expect there to be quite a few people like the OP, who will take notice of the fees, and look for an option with lower fees, and find one, and eventually MTGOX will have to respond with decreased fees and/or better or expanded services.

Probably nobody has made more cash money in the recent BTC rush than MTGOX. Some people are/were worth more on paper...but MTGOX is making cash. Deepbit is probably making pretty good money, but then again, how much is held in BTC and how much have they gotten in cash?

I do agree with twist3d1080 above me...but business is not a sentimental endeavor.