shah82 wrote: You might just have had a bad puerh bing.
Yes, it may. It was a 1994 8582 bought in 1997 and which arrive in western Europe in 1999.
The pu I'm speaking are not necessarely well known bings.
And sometimes, one can find good teas in shops selling many things and just not teas. Such shops don't follow the price markets. For instance in a restaurant selling some jade and some teas (!), I've bought this :
http://www.grandtea.com/no.-7813-Feng-Qing-p-304.html
for RMB 70 ($11). Stored dry closed to LuguHu. I know quite well FQ products, it seems to be true.
In 2009, I've bought in Shanghai a 1992 bing for RMB 900 (138$). This was not made by a well known producer, but compared with a BaBaQingBing medium stored or 90' Nada teas, this one was more complex, better qi we and arrived to about 50 steps (not usual for beginning 90' teas).
But for sure, almost all famous teas (not necessary best ones) in China are now really high priced. I would not buy an old 7542 !
A friend of mine bought an old high quality Yixing of beginning ROC in a antiquarian shop. The seller didn't know the price of such teapot ...