Ebay refractometer curse

[Fish]

Tony,

I haven't had a problem with paypal yet but I guess that may change, depending on how they deal with this issue.
I have a lead right now on a new refractometer from a canreef member - that will probably be the safest way to go. I can feel Rich's frustration though - I too have seen drygoods before at the LFS or a Canadian site that were twice as much as what the same item cost online in the States. I don't know why it's that way, but I suspect there are legitimate reasons for it. I was tempted into the ebay purchases by the fact that I could get a refractometer from China, and after shipping it here and paying exchange, it was still way cheaper than buying a refractometer locally.
I know that supporting local business is important but I was never one to throw away money just for the sake of doing that. Maybe that's hurting myself in the end though; if all our LFS's dissapeared, it would be real tough to get livestock... I sure miss being able to stop at Big Als here in the South.

- Chad