Pay to publish is not that uncommon e.g. https://academic.oup.com/nar/pages/Ms_Prep_Submission#charges https://academic.oup.com/nar/pages/Ms_Prep_Submission#ch

Pay to publish is not that uncommon e.g. https://academic.oup.com/nar/pages/Ms_Prep_Submission#charges https://academic.oup.com/nar/pages/Ms_Prep_Submission#charge... Sometimes this is under the guise of "open access" or other charges... there is often a waver if the author can not afford the fee (which you have to apply for).