Go to one of the auto a/c sites and take the online open book test and get your 609 EPA certification for about $15. You then can buy R12 on ebay or anywhere else legally. On ebay it is as cheap as about $12 per pound right now.

A shop that is charging $75 per pound is soaking the daylights out of you.

The reason it is going down, I believe, is that the cars that use it are now at least 10 years old and more and more of them are hitting the wrecking yards every day.

Good luck,