I think the idea of a "reasonable" price is dependent somewhat on the reputation of the manufacturer/importer of the product being discussed, and some manufacturers are a better fit for certain products.
One hypothetical example:
A Sunset/3rd Rail Alco C415 is probably very well priced at $649.00, while an Atlas Trainman version of the same locomotive might well be lacking perceived value at anything over a "street" price of $249.00.
Both manufacturers versions of that loco might be good products, but there are lots of variables involved that need to be addressed before either maker would consider moving forward on producing that model.
A lot of factors go into what a potential customer's idea of "value" is--and some of those factors are within the control of the manufacturer and some are not.
Jeff C
