And they are doing it to the only group on the planet who can be deceived by that kind of marketing (little kids), while other people smile and look at it as a magical thing. It's not. It's such a notorious borderline scam that an early South Park episode touched on it.
Rather than $5-$10 million a year in brine shrimp sales.
It's harmless, though. Considering nothing in life has an value at all except how it makes humans feel, as long as it makes people net happier than sadder (which it seems to do), then Sea Monkeys are a moral positive.
You would think that if you were going to con someone, it would be better to con someone with money, or at least a steady income, but no, conning children is also apparently profitable.
Because your mark does another con on your behalf to get the money, which works because they have absolutely no idea that they are just a catspaw in your own con.
Rather than $5-$10 million a year in brine shrimp sales.