Wow! $500, even in US dollars, would be a bargain here. The expertise is well worth paying for, especially if you are a newby to longarming. When I got my used machine, DH and the seller's husband dismantled it, taking pictures and labeling EVERYTHING!! But even with all the pics and the manuals and online help, the reassembling process had some hiccups. Having a dealer come set everything up,even though it was a used machine, was going to be over $1000 CAD. Of course, living in the boonies makes any service more expensive.