A red heifer that meets all the criteria established by the Torah is very rare; therefore, it is very expensive. The Sages relate an incident with a gentile, who, due to his greed, demanded an exorbitant price for his heifer. His desire to exploit the Jews ultimately caused him to lose everything.

There was an incident where the Israelites required a red heifer but they could not find one. They then found one in the possession of a certain gentile. They went and they said to him: Sell us the heifer that you have, as we need it. He said: Pay its price and take it. They asked: And how much does it cost? He responded: Three or four gold pieces. They said to him: We are willing to pay. While they went to bring the money, that gentile learned why they needed the heifer. When they came and brought the money, he said to them: I will not sell it to you. They said to him: Do you want to raise its price? If you ask, we will pay you whatever you ask. The more anxious the evil person saw they were, the more he would abuse them. They said: Take five gold pieces, but he would not consent; take ten, take twenty, until they reached one hundred, but he would not consent…. When he committed to giving it to them for one thousand gold pieces and they agreed and went to bring him gold pieces, what did that wicked one do? He said to his fellow, another gentile: Come and see how I am mocking these Jews. The reason that they are seeking the heifer and are willing to pay me all this money is only because no yoke has been placed upon it [as performing labor with the heifer disqualifies it]. I am going to take the yoke and place it on the heifer, and I will fool them and take their money. He did so, and took the yoke and placed it on the animal all night. This is the sign of a heifer upon which a yoke had not been placed: There are two hairs on the neck where a yoke is placed. Until the yoke is placed upon it, the two hairs remain erect. If a yoke is placed on it, the two hairs immediately bend. There is one additional sign in the heifer: Until the yoke is placed upon it, its eyes are straight. Once a yoke is placed on it, its eyes look to and fro and it is cross-eyed from looking back at the yoke. When the Jews came with their gold to purchase the heifer from him, they showed him the gold. He immediately went and removed the yoke from upon the heifer and took it out to them. Once he took it out to them, they began examining it, looking for the signs. They saw that those two erect hairs were bent, and in addition, the yoke had caused it to move its eyes. They said to him: Take your heifer, we do not need it; go fool your mother. Once that wicked one saw that they returned his heifer to him and he was denied all the gold pieces, the same mouth that said: I am mocking them, began saying: Blessed is He who chose this nation. He entered his house, hung a rope, and strangled himself. (Pesikta Rabbati [Ish Shalom] 14)