I think that costs on anything electronic will go up, particularly those components in the US made with parts overseas (and that is almost everything). Some companies will be legitimate in passing the cost of the “t” word to the buyer, others will be price gouging to increase profits. Be wary of the claim “our product is made here in the USA”. The fact is that the USA does not manufacture many electronic parts here anymore, and have not in many decades.
Should I buy another flat screen now while they are still relatively cheap?
My current Vizio 65" is either 7 or 8 years old, and it gets a lot of use. Is there an average life span on these? My previous Samsung 70" made it about ten years as I remember. I see that WalMart still has flat screens in that (or around that) size for relatively cheap.