Despite common belief, Amazon(ie. actually Amazon as seller) doesn’t allways have the best price.
Sometimes this can be common items.
In other cases, it’s weird specialty stuff, like industrial tools snd supplies, which aren’t really Amazon’s main business focus.
Sometimes manufacturers refuse to sell their stuff thru Amazon.
Other times, the Amazon stock may be old stock they acquired thru the purchase of another company, like “Small Parts” or “Tool Crib of the North” etc.
If Amazon has the item in North America, they can usually get it to you quicker than some other sources.
Amazon also sometimes stocks stuff thru their foreign subsidiaries, which can affect cost plus or minus.
Another issue that can come up, is that Amazon sometimes lists things with the wrong picture, because the coders who make up the listings have no clue about industrial tools or parts, and probably don't have the time to properly figure the subject out.
A problem with marketplace sellers, is that they sometimes list stuff they don’t actually have, or don’t have their listing properly setup to adjust for price changes, so the item listed at a lower price may never arrive, and the order just gets refunded.
Some item I ordered, that a seller claimed was damaged in their stock, and “no longer available from the manufacturer”, just got restocked at Grainger/Zoro, so obviously it’s still available. Seller likely just screwed up on their inventory, and selling price. At least they refunded me within a day.
