@centinel - did you try to buy it directly from Jim on eBay, or was it a used one from a private seller? If you were trying to buy it from Schlockwood on eBay, you can go to their website and buy it directly from them, by emailing them using the email address on this page -
https://www.schlockwood.com/sw200page
No sign of the cheaper SW205 model yet but the SW210 is beginning to roll out:
https://www.schlockwood.com/sw210-new-am-processor
"... Initially, the SW210 will be sold factory-direct at a price of $580. Once, and 'if', the unit is later sold through an eBay listing, that price will necessarily have to be a bit higher. ..."
By the way... If you go to his site on your phone you have to put it in 'Desktop site" mode or it won't display right and you can't read anything at all. (In Chrome click the 3 dots on the upper right and select;"Desktop Site" and then it displays correctly but you'll have to scroll left to right a bit,but at least you can read it.
@mark It's actually appears quite inexpensive for a new unit compared to any competition I guess - I do wonder what licenced stations might opt for this bargain priced unit. But it's his SW205 model which is supposed to be basically the same thing for nearly half the price (without the cabinetry) is supposed to be upcoming. That's the one I'm more curious about. - but really for under $600, the above unit, it seems to me, is a tremendous value item.
@richpowers It is $580 USD. Just to get an idea, if I were to buy it this is what I would actually pay. Add another 30% to the cost for the exchange. Then another 2 or 3 % on to that for the exchange fee Visa or Paypal will charge for the conversion, then add shipping and for that unit maybe $50USD for regular ground shipping($65 Canadian$$), then the 13% tax that they will hit me for on the value of the item...another $75! Then if there's a courier brokerage fee add another $30 or $40 Canadian$$ and the total to get it into my hands is.....wait for it.....$950! If sent by slow mail take off the $50 for brokerage fee and $900.00 If it's from Ebay the shipping fees and import stuff is prepaid and wouldn't be quite as much. But he said if on ebay it would have to cost more but why?
I still think that not putting the other new one in a case and just selling it unfinished with an open circuit board is not saving any costs. Even an off the shelf Hammond case that the other was in is $15 give or take. A manufacturer that buys 100s of them gets a manufacturers discount, so maybe the case would be half that cost per unit. I think it's silly selling like that. And you will handle it with the open circuit board like that?
At least he can with the instructions tell you what case would fit it so you can go buy it and mount it in a project case for a proper finished item. But selling it unfinished to keep the price down is misleading.