Clausing 5914 Lathe

I received Enco and MSC orders today. I was out of clear paint and needed some rubber to make the tailstock pedestal gasket and a few other smaller items. And, I'm setting up to try scraping so I can get the cross slide and compound really up to spec. I ordered a nice new surface plate from Enco. I have one I got at an auction, but it's old and a bit worn and I was able to detect about 0.001" or localized error. So, I ordered a new one for $36.95. As you can see, it arrived with a corner broken off. I called Enco and they are sending a new one tomorrow and told me to just toss this one. Seems like it's still a usable surface plate, though I don't know why I'll ever need three surface plates.

The new plate is 3" thick. The older one I bought at an auction is 4" thick (it's under the one in the picture, BTW). It would be nice if I could get that one back up to spec, but it's bound to cost more than a new surface plate does.

I'm wondering how this 70 pound block of granite can be precision made in China, shipped across the ocean, warehoused, and then shipped to me (for free no less) for all of $36.95. The shipping to me must cost about that much alone. I figure Enco counts on the good will they get by selling items like this at a loss or something. This is the first time I've had a problem with something ordered from Enco and they could not have been nicer or more efficient in dealing with it.