Well,yeah the Gibson studio's arn't meant to be as good as a custom....thats why they are cheaper.The one you saw,or had seen most likley was made specifically for musiciansfriend or guitar center,but 'regular' lp studios and and the studio+ are a constant in the Gibson line.Studios arn't exclusivley for GC or musiciansfriend.

As ebay goes,the idea is to bid low and win...if see a 'buy it now' or BIN for the price as musiciansfriend or GC,then by it from the store and not ebay.Usually the starting bid price is low though and if you win...well then you get it at that price.