Hello, new friend!

I am speaking to you as someone who paid $200 for a used mechanical keyboard -- because the MSRP on a new model was approximately $500, which was not a price I was willing to pay. It is a Maltron single-handed keyboard, so it commands that price mostly because the number of people who can only type with one hand is an extremely niche market. I haven't quite mastered the layout yet but I am working on it.

So I have to say that $250 new doesn't sound all that outrageous. :)