There is an option to just purchase. The subscription will quit working when you quit paying. But, yes, you "can just buy this outright" - change the option where it says "Annual Subscription" - that's actually a drop-down box (there's a tiny arrow beside it) so change the option to "New License" instead.
VP 19 perpetual license (one-time purchase) owners will be able to download for free all updates/new builds of version 19 and to use that version indefinitely.
EDIT: Now that is weird - with the link I just uploaded and going to the purchase option for VP Edit, the purchase options do appear - but still no upgrade option.
But going back to VP's website and selecting the Edit version, it is still the same as shown before. Gremlins at work methinks.
In the latest update of Price Watch I just gave a link to more advice, which include this:
Choose your payment plan (purchase option) by clicking the small blue arrow in the Online Shop. There are four (4) options in the opening dropdown menu. To Upgrade click a separate blue box. Be sure to click and read "Information regarding the upgrade".
I tested https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/vegas-edit/ on two devices and with Chrome and Edge on both, no options were missing. (The /sem/ version is for the "Search Engine Marketing" and I found it through Google some time ago as well.)
Following a recent theread in this forum which clarified that Vegas Edit, Vegas Pro, and Vegas Post all include the full-on Vegas Pro 19 I decided to upgrade from 18 to 19. I only required the Edit version as I don't have a use for the 2nd and 3rd options. I also wanted to continue with my perpectual license so I went from the "middle" option which I've had in effect from Vegas 9 to "Edit".
What was weird was that in the space of a few minutes I was getting three substantially different prices for upgrading to perpectual Edit. I paid for the lowest priced one at £59.99 including UK tax, half expecting it to fall through as the highest was close to £100.
I didn't keep all these links but Dexcon's experience reminds me of my own. Very strange.
Were the offers you saw all from the gb (UK) URLs?
I didn't keep the details, sorry. Usually for something like that I keep a full copy of web pages in PDF format using the Chrome extension called GoFullPage just in case a seller tries to decline a completed purchase but I didn't do it on this occasion. Just assumed £59.99 was an extra-special time limited offer which I think was about to expire when I bought it late evening on 5th May.
The Price Watch thread shows only $/USD prices, but the VEGAS Edit £/GBP upgrade price was likely £94.99 until around May 3 and after that the current £59.99, now until May 31.