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Went 'n done it. Hopped from one foot to the other over this for months, kept watching the E-bay ads. Finally, a used "E-bay Refurbished" 200~500mm β±5.6 AF VR Nikkor from Roberts Camera came up at a semi-reasonable price, with a 1-year warranty... I've had dealings with them since "the film days" and never had a problem.
Should show up by next Monday.
Should show up by next Monday.