I bought my 65" Hitachi HD RPTV on eBay almost five years ago:

http://ultimateavmag.com/rearproject...135/index.html

I paid about $4.2k and I saved close to $1k over what I would have paid locally. However, unless you know exactly what you want, I agree that buying locally at a store with a good return policy is
prudent.

If you like comparisons, there's a good article on Plasma, LCD and RPTVs in the latest Consumer Reports with ratings (available online or at the newstand). The online sites like avsforums are good too but you have to dig a little more.