Personally I`m very new to the hobby so I don`t really know from experience that the prices have gone up. Also, my first rep is in the mail, or will be soon, so I don`t even know what kind of a quality I have paid for. I would like to say though that thanks to this and other forums with their reviews and recommendations, I feel confident that the watch I will be receiving in a few days will be of excellent quality. I also feel confident that the dealer that I chose to purchase my first rep from will stand by his words. The question is then "what am I buying?" I`m not just buying a watch..a rep. I`m buying confidence! To me, that`s worth a lot! Obviously, that doesn`t explain dramatic price increases, but it more than justifies the price level we`re at now the way I see it.