3-gallon Ball lock keg pricing

I've been doing a bit of research and I'm finding that 3-gallon ball lock kegs are actually more expensive than 5-gallon, even new. Why?

I'm looking to 2x 3-gallon kegs to keg a winter warmer. I want to drink some this year when it's ready ~March; some next year, so I'd like to split the batch, and I'd prefer not to tie up a 5-gallon keg for the full year.

Any thoughts? Recommendations on cheaper vendors?

Cheers!

They're very expensive! It's because they are a specialty item, somewhat rare. Used 5 gallon kegs were the most common kegs used for fountain sodas, and very few places used the 3 gallon kegs. There just aren't as many of them as 5 gallon kegs. They cost sometimes four times as much as the 5 gallon kegs, just for that reason.

supply and demand is a MF... why not just get another 5 gal if it's cheaper? or just bottle it to save a year?

I think one of the paid vendors CHI Company is the cheapest I've seen but they're still expensive:
http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_44

Unless space is an issue, I'd just pick up 5G kegs. I think 3G were mostly used for mixing cleaning solutions so that's why there's a lot fewer of them as 5G had all the soda.

I just picked up a 3 gallon corny keg (new) from KegConnection for $119 shipped the other week to build my portable kegerator with. These kegs hold their price very well though...

Check Rebel Brewer -- least expensive 3-gallon ball lock I've seen, under $90!