Ebay is a universal secondary market for anything instantaneously in demand.
Sometimes when you're a seller, you sell stuff poorly because there's no roving online market for it, and sometimes the opposite happens. Earlier this year, I still had 2 LN planes left. A LN 62 that I purchased just to test the unicorn sharpening method as I figured it would work better than a flat facet (it does), and then sold after testing.
I guess I got lucky getting the plane in the first place, but it was about $270 and I expected to eat about $70 net of fees. I woke up after selling it on a straight auction and some guy in france bought it for $360. I was shocked and figured it might be a scam. I had improved the plane while having it and listed that (it was within LN's spec but hollow in its length to a noticeable amount, and I flattened it to anything a starrett edge would let light through). I also expected to eat it over that because LN's typical new customer doesn't know much about things like that and I would've avoided anything non factory early on. The payment came through, The guy got the plane and was super pleased with it (apparently, nothing has been going to continental europe from LN for a while).
I had a bronze 4 that I pondered selling with a modified stock and cap iron to be able to use LN irons but also stanley thickness irons. Same fear (describing those details maybe ends up doing you no favors because it confuses some newer buyers). I was just hoping for market value after the france fluke. I sold it on a straight up auction starting at a penny and it sold for $550 (they're $375 or something from LN). I pondered giving the buyer some refund, but he was so happy to get one (and from california of all places - he said LN wasn't going to make more until at least a month later and he wasn't waiting). That plane was my user plane and wasn't short of handling marks on it, either. Unlike the 62, it was dead flat from the factory.
I offered to make him an O1 iron fitted to the plane since LN doesn't make those and then he could have both types, and he was super pleased with that, too.
got plenty of complaints from people who tried to send messages to take the listing down early and sell for new plane price, a couple accusing me of being a shill bidder. The final buyer blew them away (I don't shill bid with anyone - ever. It's not even illegal in all states here, but I don't care if it is or isn't, it's horrid). I sent messages to the guys who pounded me about shill bids about maybe keeping things to themselves until they see the feedback from the legitimate sale. One was apologetic, the other one was just being infantile all the way to the end.
Long story short, when you really want something and it's not available, going to ebay isn't a great place to go unless you have a saved search on a fixed price item. The other ones, people will go nuts. Apparently listing something at auction these days without reserve is so uncommon that people think you're a scammer. The reason that I like to do it is that it takes it out of your hands worrying about when something will sell or how much. You list it, it sells. You can wring your hands about bad (low finish price) sales if you want, but it all evens out in the end.
It takes a month or two for prices on the ground here to catch up with ebay. going rate for a nice stanley four has doubled in the last 5 years but at swap meets and such, prices closer to the older prices aren't that uncommon.