[66gtk]

I agree with supply and demand, but that's not the whole story here. I don't have any facts or data, but let's just say that the market demand for "Widget A" is $50K. Let's also then presume that I sell these widgets regularly and that is pretty much the market value that I'm aware of. If I have a good corner of this market with little competition would it be ethical to attempt to drive up the value by advertising said widget for $65K knowing that most will probably end up selling for $50K? After all, if the public sees my advertised price at $65K repeatedly enough perhaps the public will think that's the value/price? Only the select few who end up actually purchasing are aware of the "real" price. There may eventually be enough people to bite at the advertised price due to repeated exposure at the advertisements that this may become the new "real" price and then I can start advertising for $70K....

I'm not saying this process is illegal or unethical. But it does remind me of the retails shops who routinely have 50% off sales multiple times each year (or even weekly). We have to be smart shoppers whether we are purchasing cars or toasters. The problem with our Cobras is that the market is so tiny and so specialized it's difficult to shop real prices vs retail (or over retail) prices without inside information that we are generally not privy to.