AZ, I am not a shadchanit, nor would I lay claim to being able to make shidduchim. However, I have tried to do so and spent a lot of time on ONE SHIDDUCH for a friend, and though it did not “take,” I would never have taken money from either the friend or the person with whom I set him up had it worked out. I spent a lot of man-hours on this on the phone, on-line, back and forth with the other party’s friend who recommended her to me, and had to literally talk my friend into going out (he has been burned a LOT). I would say I put in a few weeks on this. So though I understand your point, I do not feel a shadchan should expect or ever ask for the kind of money that has been mentioned here. You will not change my opinion, and I will not change yours. I can live with that.
When you can show me that a shadchan has had the years of training to do his/her profession that other people put into training for their professions (And btw, what exactly DOES qualify that person to be a shadchan?), then I will concede your point. Most shadchanim whom I know are NOT professional in any way. They only think of themselves as such, but do not conduct themselves in a professional manner.