Yes precisely :) It's a major pain in everyone's ass. I don't have enough experience to know if this is only the case in Asian or 3rd World countries, but I wouldn't be surprised if the "in-person" requirement is dropped in Western European or developed nations.
This is why there are a significant number of customers who try to go-it-alone and ignore the website (more expensive) option only to be frustrated and realize that 20 bucks is a pittance compared to not being able to travel.
I considered answering that question in my post above, but I thought I'd wait for someone to ask :).
The "in-person" requirement is dropped for the Visa Waiver Program, which applies if you're from a "nice" nation and you want to stay no more than three months and you don't want to work or study and you don't have a criminal record (in any country) and you're not on any secret U.S. lists of "interesting" people.
And of course you need to not tick "yes" to the questions about wanting to enter the US to traffic drugs, having committed genocide or been involved in espionage and other fun things on the visa waiver form prior to landing. That form is always the most hilarious thing about any trip to the US.
This is why there are a significant number of customers who try to go-it-alone and ignore the website (more expensive) option only to be frustrated and realize that 20 bucks is a pittance compared to not being able to travel.