I, for one, have taken advantage of the stripped models on Ebay. It began by wanting a new neck for my old 67 strat (needs fretwork now but I was going to sell it since it is truly a vintage piece). I bought a guitar in 1978 that had the original 67 neck but a Charvel body so only the neck is truly vintage.
The new necks are already setup from Fender so it allowed me to get a slightly used neck (2002) with medium jumbos and all it needed was a nut filing adjustment - (a little high from Fender). No need for dressing frets on a new neck and it had the Fender logo and was finished. The cost was slighty more than a base Warmoth unfinished neck.
I then got interested in the S1 switch. The other guitarist in our worship team tried a new strat and was very impressed with the setup on the Deluxe. The only place to get the pickups, harness, and knobs as far as I know is from a site like the Stratosphere. They are very detailed and accurate in their descriptions of the parts and they are, I believe, supplying legitimate US Fender gear.
I eventually built a complete guitar from parts from stores like the Stratosphere and YES the parts go for more than the dealer cost on the guitar, especially when you ad in the shipping.
I came out about even in total cost with a new purchase but with a greater appreciation of the stratocaster. I also ended up with a guitar that is one of a kind.
Stripping them down may seem like a sad thing but putting them together is incredibly rewarding if your the type thats in to it.
By the way I still have the original strat with the 67 neck and the Charvel body - Can't get rid of it yet.
Ron