Ah, you're thinking small, Reaver. What happens when some Triads get upset with both talismongers and Awakened who are using 'their' techniques without permission? Price and availability are only the first steps in controlling the rarity of certain things. Perhaps the only non-Triad willing to do the work in your sprawl (or the only one that will talk to you) has the artistic skills of a kindergartner. Perhaps the ones who had more artistic skill were 'persuaded' to leave after more than one suffered 'accidents'. Would you care for a permanent focus that was supposed to be a coiled serpent and instead looks like a neon green poop emoji?
Yes and no...
I see what you are saying, but at the same time, even the triads, while known for their violent reprisals, are not stupid enough to go against the weight of the 10 megas, and all the AA corps out there; Which is what you are suggesting.
Once something like this hits the marketplace, that's it, its out there. targeting the people who get them even if it is a small population (which these tattoos cater to,) is going to bring all levels of pain on them as everyone knuckles down on them. And everyone would: The police because it looks good for them when the new rounds of contract talks come up. The Corps because they (the Triads) are fucking not only with their profit lines, they are fucking with their reputation! The other criminal organizations would pounce on them for no other reason then to remove a player from 'their' markets.
No, its my own issue with the game. And that's fine, I certainly don't hold it against my players that get one, as they are very good for their costs and the effectiveness.
As for hiding tattoos in Yakuza culture, that comes from a different philosophy, and unless you're Japanese, may not entirely understand. (Not Japanese, and while I have done extensive reading and travelling, I don't understand it either). That same philosophy is also seeing Yakuza members getting finger replacement surgeries to hid past shames as well (usually by graphing toes to the finger stumps!)... From what I understand, it all about the Yaks realizing that their customs makes them targets visibly on the world stage, which makes their illegal operations that much harder to hide from international police efforts. After all, if all you have to do is follow the Japanese man with a body tattoo and a missing finger for a few months to years to find a criminal organization, you do it! (The Police in Canada have been known to invest years and hundreds of officers for hundreds of thousands of man hours to tackle a SMALL organization... See project H.A.R.M in the 1990's.)
But tattoos are also a cultural thing for some people and cultures. (as is a host of other things like scarification!) and then there are people like me, who tattoos are just body art (I have a few). In fact, go down to your local construction site, you'll see LOTS of tattoos, most iron heads I know are only 15% "flesh colored"... the other 85% is all ink! And in SR, tattoos are mostly just considered body art, and no one bats an eye at. (thanks to the "Punk" tagline in SR's origins..)