How much do you pay for drywall guys?

[Jon K.]

How much do you pay for drywall guys to repair a wall or ceiling?

I got an estimate of nearly $2000 for part of 1 room. Absurdity.

That's when there's less than $50-75 in actual supplies (drywall, tape, mud, paint) needed for the job.

I had an amateur suggest that he could do it for a few hundred. Amateur's might screw it up, but it is tempting to save that much money.

What's the top amount you would pay per square foot? What's reasonable?