Buying inline

[John Deere Boy]

When i bought my Inline 5 two years ago there were several ebay sellers offering it for $360. Now a friend/neighbor wants to buy his own, but there is only one (low rated) seller on ebay offering it for $400. Have the china knockoffs upgraded to inline 6? What should i tell him to buy for his 2012 CM2250?

edit: i haven't kept up with current events here at rawze and the search function isn't being helpful, so links would be very helpful. Dont' know why my post count is zero, i made several posts after buying my awful cm2250. Thanks!