Oh gosh,
I got Merlin (Congo Grey) in 1999 for $1200 in Ottawa, Stryder (white faced cockatiel) was free as I bred him with my old breeding pair (I sold babies for $125 each handfed); Rosco (Caique) was $800 (breeder sold for $900 usually, but I got the friend discount...I also wouldn't return him after baby-sitting him while she was on vacation - he was 5 months old).
As far as the old part of this thread with the $1900 Senegal sale, when I used to sell avians, I'd sell what people needed for their new parrots and find out what their budget was and get them the best that fit within it - really I don't feel people should be getting pets on Credit Cards or going way beyond their means. If the budget didn't meet what we'd consider minimum standards, we'd be honest that it wasn't possible and for them to look at different options or wait for another parrot until they were able to afford what it required.
It was more difficult back in the late 90's & early 2000's to have a great toy and cage selection in-store, but we generally sent home new babies with 5-6 toys for a slight rotation, and had strict minimum cages sizes (at least in the stores I worked in and managed) for quality of life. But there were options for all budgets.
It sounds like a strong seller and a customer who let the seller run the show with that customer - unless she was okay with that in her budget!