What about the stuff one ebay? I see people selling theirs at a huge mark-up. Then again I suspect a scam. One user even demanded payment using bitcoins right in the auction listing (red flag), had only two reviews, and those were in selling, (red flag again) and his username was runawayfaster (not making this up). Also, yes, I'm aware that some are buying someone else's place in line, but then again, others are saying they have the actual product in their hands, and are willing to ship. Yes, I smell a scam, but still, I have to ask.
As for the money making machine part, no, that's not what I'm looking at it for. I just want something where I can have a few hundred dollars extra a month. Basically even if it was $300 extra a month, to us, that is something substantial, even after the cost of electricity.
I saw those eBay auctions. the 'runawayfaster' was exceptionally sketchy.
$300/month after electricity is substantial. I suggest plugging your numbers into one of the mining calculators like
http://dustcoin.com/mining to find out what you'd need to reach your desired income target. given how recently bitcoin has been highly valued i wouldn't put more money into bitcoin than you're willing to say take with you to Vegas and put down on table games.
I'd echo what people have said about GPUs. They should have a stronger price they could fall to if bitcoin prices fall through the floor tomorrow. the downside is of course that they suck up electricity.
remember, no one can see the future. ASICs bought today might be wildly profitable in 1 year or worthless in a week. like everything you read on teh internets take opinions here with a grain of salt and ultimately do what is right for you.
P.S. if you might skip the whole mining thing and try buying Block Eruptor USB miners in group buys and selling them on eBay. it seems like the fastest way to profit in a bitcoin related thing now. at some point prices on eBay will likely settle closer to group buy prices.