I can buy a machine in a cabinet for $12, that's about what I paid for this one, but the ones in the cases are generally higher, more like $25 and up. My guess is the stores recognize the ones in the cases are more sought after. I'm debating a universal cabinet where I can just drop the machines in, case and all. All I would have to do is build the cases all the same size and it would certainly be easy enough to mod an existing cabinet.
I like cases because they take up less room but prefer a machine in a cabinet to sew at.
Rodney