For the most part unless you find a site that has unusually nice flowers ( like Stewart Feldman's) you can make prettier ones yourself and sure, cheaper too. But that isn't why I make them, I get a feeling of satisfaction and pride in doing them. It's nice to push yourself to learn more and do more. I find it relaxing as well.
It's a no-calorie part of cake decorating 
You get to work on cakes without making a huge mess, no oven (good in summer!), "edible" art you made that lasts forever... lots of reasons to make them yourself. BUT if you're doing a ton, or have high demand for cakes with gp flowers, I would buy them. It's the whole scratch vs mix thing again - all depends on your preference and abilities, as well as needs.
I always like to sit down and practice making them, but if I needed really good ones or a large amount I would buy them. After I make one or two i'm done.
I make mine but I have bought them when I was in a pinch too.
I recruit my kids in the summer. We relocate ourselves for 3 months of the year to our summer cabin way north in Ontario. There on lousy days and rainy days we play with gum paste. The kids have fun, I am keeping them busy and making flowers for winter and then when we do bake in the summer they have their edible play dough pieces to display on their cakes.
It is a lot of fun. It gives me time to practice.
Good luck. Claire
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