re-tipping Dynavector17D?

Good try, Chak.  But it's hopeless.  Could it be that "Markusthenaimnut", "Shooflyshoo", and "heyitsmedusty" are one and the same person?  No offense intended to those 3, as they are more likely to be separate individuals who did not read the OP.

At least we do agree it is not a great idea to re-tip a 17D series cartridge, if you want to restore its particular original SQ.  Yes, you're right; I am too old and too cynical based on past experience to buy a cartridge off eBay, unless it's from one of the reputable international sellers, like Thakker (from whom I have purchased new cartridges) or one of the Asian gurus.  In my past experience purchasing vacuum tubes and the occasional LP, I have more often than not been very disappointed.  Never have I purchased a used cartridge off eBay, but I did recently purchased a cartridge from a private individual who advertised on another site and swore he was selling an NOS sample.  What he sent was not only obviously not NOS, it was also defective beyond repair.  On top of that, he was a whiner.

Joe, Do you own an original "17D", with no numeric suffix?  How old is THAT?  My memory only goes back to the 17D2, and I have been doing this for 40 years.
Chak, All I am suggesting is that a newbie doesn't get much help from the idea of finding and buying a rare vintage cartridge for his or herself (rare not only in type but also to find one in excellent condition with a good suspension).  Maybe it's better to recommend recent or current production. It's like saying to a beggar, "I just found this wallet with $1000 in it, lying on the street back there.  Why don't you do the same?"  These rare cartridge bargains that you find are after all, rare.
I don't know for sure what was the retail price of the 17D3 in the US, when it was current, but I think it was way less than $3000.  It was touted in part because of its low price relative to other cartridges of similar quality.  I think that's why my friend bought the one I own, after months of shopping and thinking.  The Music Direct website lists it at $1350, although of course they no longer have any to sell.  That price rings a bell.  But maybe in Russia the price was higher.

Chak, you frequently recommend the 17D2.  As you know, it has been superseded by the 17D3, more than a decade ago or even two decades ago, and even the 17D3 has been discontinued and replaced by the 17DX, a current model that can actually be purchased NOS.  I have a 17D3 myself, and it's nice but so far not a world beater. (To be fair, I have to use it more; it was sitting in my friend's collection unused for probably 10 years before I "inherited" it.)  Anyway, the 17DS that you mentioned is also discontinued. Where does it fit in to the history?  It seems to have been marketed in Japan-only, about the same time Dynavector was selling the 17D2 internationally, back in the 90s.
I have to agree that if you love a 17D series for what it is, you probably don't want to re-tip it in the expectation it will sound the same afterwards.  First, not many re-tippers can supply a similar stylus shape, and not many can replace a nude diamond without also replacing the cantilever.  However, I don't think the problem would be the adhesive per se, as the original stylus is also bonded to the diamond cantilever.