I think it's a great deal for the price.

You were right. Too many missing pieces. You can find better for the same price.

I know ladies in my quilt guild who have those old machines, some have several. I think they're awesome and give everyone credit who cleans them up and gets them going. I wouldn't know where to begin to get it working.

I found one on eBay...their asking $499.....

Yup, there are some real outrageous prices on eBay - what a seller hopes to get and what they actually sell for can be very, very far apart.

However, sometimes a seller does have something unusual, or with rare attachments, or a very hard to find cabinet, so unless you really know what you are looking at, it's easy make incorrect assumptions.