I'm usually amused by the "you paid too much" posts/threads myself - especially specific to vintage/rare/collectible items. It's not like you can run down to WalMart and get any of this stuff any cheaper! Start to get "specific" about what you want, and the available choices go WAY down, so the price usually goes up...
When I bought my 1959 Gibson Les Paul in 2002, I paid "40% over retail" for it; since that time (7 years) there have been exactly TWO (argueably) "nicer" examples that changed hands - both for more money than I paid for mine. In this example, all the naysayers begrudgingly admit that I "made the right move"; at the time, I was called the biggest moron in the vintage guitar community by the same guys!
Granted, there's a lot more "used Porsches" out there than 1959 Les Pauls, but my point is this: If you know EXACTLY what you're looking for, and will accept NOTHING less, then the price of that thing on that day is what you pay for it, and you'll likely be damned glad to have it! If you're willing to lower your standards, then sure, the scope of availabilty and pricepoints widen.
In closing, it seems like it's "O.K." to brag about what a "deal" you got on what something cost you, but categorically NOT O.K. to brag about any "easy money" that you might have made in your line of work. Maybe the guys that "paid too much" were just spending their "windfall money", doncha know...
