OK Peter and Paul: We are not going to play the "I'm less self-righteous than thou" game here. Any more of that, and I'll have to send you both to your rooms.
Not to change the subject, but here's my input on the original topic:
When I was looking for a utility cap for my pick-up I picked one out at a local dealer and it was gonna cost me $1300. Then I looked on E-bay and found a similar one up for auction. I got it for $150. It didn't have all the bells & whistles I was looking for, and I had to drive all the way to Binghamton for it, but it was the right size and the right color and a great bargain.
I'm also about to purchase 6 E-mon meters, and there's a dealer on E-bay that has them for about $100 less than my supplier. But I'm still a little apprehensive about spending that much money at an online retailer that I'm unfamiliar with.