Yes it is a market. If you state a price you are prepared to pay for a commodity, be it a pilot or a lobster, you are hoping that there are enough sellers prepared to accept that price to satisfy your demand. If there aren't enough sellers then you either pay more or go without. Likewise if the sellers quote a price that doesn't attract enough buyers, they either drop their price to match the level of demand, or watch their commodity gather dust or perish.
In some cases a buyer will demand a level of quality that dictates a higher price and that simply becomes a niche within the marketplace. But the same supply and demand fundamentals will still apply.
These days there are a lot of pilots who believe they will find rich future rewards by selling their services at a loss now. This means there is a lot of oversupply which drives the price in the market down. If and when this oversupply perishes or dries up, so the price will start to recover.
If you choose not to, or cannot afford to become a player in the market, then the best course of action is to simply browse (you might stumble across a bargain or a gem) or stay out.
The morality merchants who claim they wouldn't buy from the cheapest seller on principal, either have deep pockets, which enables them to operate at a commercial disadvantage, or they are in the niche market already described.