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Or something like that. This is a corollary of that old saying. You perceive the market price to be X. Have you checked with other knowledgeable folks to see what their pricing thoughts are? Could you obtain X if you needed to sell the rod because you didn't like it as much as you thought you would, or because you suddenly needed to take the wife on vacation to Portugal? From what you've said above, it appears that you are prepared to pay X. Is the wife OK with X? The owner is charging X + n. I imagine n to be less than 50% of X, but can't be sure without more info. If that figure is correct, then to my way of thinking, if you (and she) are willing to spend X, it seems very unlikely that n could really be that objectionable. Less likely as n decreases, more likely as n increases. If you would willingly spend $2000 on a rod, then $3000, while significantly more, does not sound "crazy" to me. Same for a $500 rod where the fellow is asking $750. Now, if n is going above 50% of the market price (confirmed by others) then that is, perhaps, another story. This is merely rationalizing the price however. The real question is the value to you as the new owner and how you might ascribe price to that, or possibly overlook it. Ha! Let's take that trip to Portugal as an example. Would $10k seem unreasonable for the benefits one hopes would accrue to you, your wife, and your relationship from such a trip? (I am NOT suggesting you use this reasoning when you tell her you bought the rod--for obvious reasons, but also that n then tends to sit like a busted tire on the runway leading to Portugal). Think of the days you would have on the stream with this rod. Maybe it would cause you to get out more than you do, perhaps with friends and family. There's some good exercise in there somewhere, too. Plus, it would also stop you from pining away over it (watch out for the next one), and free up the time you spent looking for it to dote on your wife. Too, you'd be able to hand it off or down when the time eventually comes (or maybe even resell for X + n + y?). Are you going to let a price bump of n get in the way of the inherent value of owning that rod? Did it stop you from getting that car when you were 23? And is there not some relatively painless way to come up with n? Sell off a few books that you don't really need on the shelf? Get rid of a reel or even another rod that you don't use that often? A few extra lines sitting around that you've been meaning to spool up? Can you tie flies and sell them to buddies at a more than fair price and let them know why you're doing it? That would be cool that they knew they were helping you to obtain what you wanted and getting a good deal on flies tied by their pal in the mix. Or skip that second beer at dinner out for the next 12 months. Or set up a holiday fund (no gifts, please, just cash) for those who traditionally send you stuff you don't really need or want? Or I dunno. Pretty soon, n will be a mere speed bump on the way to fly fishing Quisisana. So long as you are already over the hump on X and n isn't going to cause any abject harm, then my vote is to go for it. C