I think Eric-WD and 92Esquire said it perfect in their posts. This is just a fad with the saddle hackle. Whiting saddles are the ones that are the most in demand. This is because they have the longest and most hackle feathers per saddle patch. Whiting has not raised their price, their end users have. Personaly I dont blame the fly shops that have put their saddles on eBay to get the most profit from them. I wish I had a few that I could sell for $400.00+ now, then replace in a few months for $75.00.

Good luck, Tony