Bit depressing. I only got around $20 for my fat DRE-prone PS2 back in the day :/
I think they overpaid for the most part. They paid $40 per broken system with shipping included. Looking at completed auctions, they frequently go for a lot less.
But if somewhere this person is managing to sell them for a hefty profit, then it is a good score. But looking at completed listings, I can't see the markup being high enough to justify the labor/time cost, etc.