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Anything over 15" tall at the shoulder is technically a standard, and there is no upper size limit. So you won't find any culls (and I use "cull" here to indicate a pup being sold as a pet on a spay/neuter contract--NOT to mean being killed!) for size reasons, unless it's just a dog that the breeder feels is too small to be competitive. In my opinion, anything over 25" or so runs the risk of getting very coarse and heavy-boned, and that is what you usually find among backyard breeders of standards.
$1,500 for a standard pup is actually very, very reasonable ($2,800 is NOT, and I bet I could guess the breeder on that one). The money that goes into paying stud fees, shipping the grump, completing the proper health and genetic testing on these dogs before breding them is nothing to sneeze at. I've never yet met a breeder of AKC (or CKC meaning Canadian, not "Continental") show-quality standard poodles who does any better than breaking even--and that's if they're lucky.
That said, it is COMPLETELY possible to get a really nice dog, from quality stock, cheap or even free. Good breeders place older puppies and retired champions all the time. If you don't mind an adult dog or an older puppy, you can get your hands on a wonderful dog for a nominal sum. This dog, my beloved Cappy, was one that I found through a breed rescue in Texas. He came to me as a 6-year-old, and we enjoyed many happy years together, until he died at 14. He earned titles in obedience and agility, and well as a Versatility in Poodles VC--I even used him as my "learner dog" in conformation showing, putting 9 points on him. You never met a better dog.