I had wondered this myself. It was weird, I find the guy with no problem. I go back, and he's ghost.
I thought 10cr was a STEAL for a replacement, as I had moved my original for 277cr twice already. I have 2, currently in employ of my companions dual blasters. But one can't have too many "Limited" items.
The fact that its stats quickly become obsolete, since it doesn't scale with the player, makes it just useful for showing off anyway.