Seramas (of any feathering) are not recognized as a legitimate breed by the APA. The reason for this is that they are a relatively new creation in the chicken world, bred in Malaysia and very recent imports to the United States. They are at this point technically termed a "landrace", meaning the breed is still in development. There is a list of qualifications that a particular landrace must meet over a period of years (adherence to a defined list of qualities agreed upon by breeders, breeding true to those qualities, number of entries per APA sponsored shows, etc.) before they can be officially considered a breed. Sometimes it can take many years before this actually happens.
The main struggle Serama breeders here in the United States have had deals with the issue of defining the standards of the breed. One side wants to stick to the Maylasian standards and the other wants to use a slightly altered "American" standard. (I prefer the Malaysian one, myself.) There are also questions of some breeders outcrossing for particular colors or traits that were not found in the original imported birds, particularly booted Serama and Andulasian blue. (Silkied Serama are found in Malaysia.) There are a few unscrupulous breeders who have seized upon the fact that these little birds are hard to come by and are out to make a fast buck by making all sorts of claims about their stock, mostly selling to people who haven't educated themselves before they bought them. Even if you do do your research, it doesn't mean you'll end up with an honest seller. I found that out when I bought my first set of eggs. I had a few that were bigger than my OEGB's.
All that being said, if one of your members bought a couple of birds from a breeder for that much, I hope that he/she feels it was worth the cost, and I hope did his/her homework before doing so. I myself bought a good pair of Serama recently for $35, but they guy had actually asked more. It's usually the smaller and well conformed birds that are the most expensive. So far, the roo has turned out to be well worth the purchase, since his chicks are looking very promising.
