i did not read all the comments made by the OP but i did read his loose analogy to how he buys real estate, and in my opinion it is a classic apples to cement blocks comparison.
you can beat the snot out of a real estate agent, and i have no problem with that, but i also bear in mind that the agent must take my offer "good" or "bad" to the seller, and the seller in turn can return with a counter offer or tell me to go pound sand.
the agent really could care the less whether or not i buy the house or not, there seems to always be a buyer for every seller in real estate, sort of a lid for every pot. and after the sale, so long as she disclosed what the law says she has to?? then the roof leaks, or the A/C quits? hey baby its on you! so drive a hard bargain if you can? if you are lucky you live in an area where you can, in some markets, your kicking the tires means someone else has offered full price or 10% over asking and bought it out from under your expert negotiation.
as opposed to a seller of a product, who has skin in the game so to speak. he has bricks and mortar to pay for, lights and insurance to keep paid, property tax, ambiance to keep current, etc. "and" he has to put up with my "whining" and "bitching" both before and after the sale. and also put up with a certain amount of grief from folks like me coming in the door, taking up time, leaving, and coming back in time and again, only to buy it online for 50 bucks less.
compare that to the online seller, who can be a broker, reselling out of a regional warehouse, or maybe his own warehouse that may well be in an industrial area with as low rent as possible, barely lit up, using labor that knows little more than how to read a barcode. if the thing quits? then what? maybe they handle the warranty claim, maybe the refer you to the manufacture, and likely will not provide you with a loaner to get you buy meanwhile you are waiting the round trip of your product.
there is nothing wrong with driving a hard bargain, just do it respectfully, and understand what and who you are dealing with and what you are getting in return. there is a way to ask respectfully for his best dollar and be friendly, and a plethora of ways of making yourself into someone that he will never sell to under any circumstances.
you want the best deal? tell him you don't need any warranty help from him, you don't need an invoice, and no help loading it up or installing it, and he will never see you again.... you can get a bottom line deal under those circumstances, so long as you shoulder all the risk and take up very little of his time. i buy all manner of stuff from products to services using this method, everything from specialty building products, to atty legal fee's, to dr. visits,,, i am just prepared to shoulder all the risk, and they never talked to me.
somehow i don't think the OP wants to step up and take that level of risk.
