I just got back from a week in Long Beach. I had some time to myself on the last day, so I looked at the local classifieds and went out and picked up a nice little 10 cfm air dryer for $160 and a nice little 1/8-1/2" bandsaw blade welder for $100. These prices are 20-30% of new, and the items were lightly used. To a guy like me from the Seattle area, this is unheard-of.
My conclusion is that the supply of machinery-related items in the LA area is so much greater that prices are cheaper there. I can't imagine why the sellers didn't put these items on ebay, but there are still some people who don't know how.
All in all, an interesting trip.
GWE