I would give a pup away to a great home or to a trusted friend. Absolutely. However, if someone couldn't afford the purchase price of the dog, I would have to wonder what they would do in an emergency situation.
I would never give (or sell) a pup to someone who expected or demanded me to give them one or sell it to them at a reduced price. It isn't about the money, it's about the buyer and their ignorance. If they have properly researched the breed, they will have come across the average price of a puppy of this breed. They should expect to pay it!
Honestly, the purchase price of a dog could be spent in one vet visit. I know mine was . . .
As for waiting lists, I will absolutely have one before any litter of mine is born. I just can't and won't promise anyone a certain puppy out of a certain litter, because I have no idea what the litter will be like.
I get requests for Dakota's puppies all the time. I tell people that he hasn't been tested yet and they give me this blank "so, what?" expression and again ask me when I'm breeding him.
If he is half as good a sheepdog as he is a goose dog, I might consider it, but to be honest I don't like some of the lines he comes from, and I am leary of whether or not he would pass on the traits from those lines. They're healthy enough, but they're the overdone showlines that I want to avoid in my breedings.