Bottom line on all of this is not whether you got duped or shilled or whatever. If the item is at a price you are willing to pay and the seller is legit, then buy it. If it's more than you want to pay, then don't buy it. Seems pretty simple.

Problem is, everyone wants to get items for less than they are probably worth, or less than they are even willing to pay, just so they feel like they got the better end of a deal. But, if you really got the better end of a deal, the seller maybe got rooked and sold for less than it's worth. I prefer sales where nobody loses and people get what they want/need/deserve. There's no substitute for doing your homework on the market value of an item. Then you know when it's a fair price and there's no weirdness to deal with or worry about as long as the seller delivers as described.