There is a difference between buying the CE in 2004 and wanting to buy it now. People who bought it back in vanilla were investing in something unproven and new. They didn’t know how long the game would last or what type of waves it would make in the gaming community. The game could have taken the same route as any other MMO and failed and shut down a few years after launch or dealt with huge content droughts the the player base dwindled to nothing.
Those who act like they deserve the ability to purchase it now because its “unfair” that others have something (that has no affect on the persons ability to play the game) that they don’t have access to are acting like children.