I don't buy a single anything from those others. I'm going to buy enough to meet their $40 minimum order. Shipping isn't free, and takes 4-6 weeks (remember this is 1960-1990). All this means that I'm planning all my projects months ahead to make a large order that will keep me busy several months (starting 2 months from now)

As an engineer my boss will approve $80 for a single resister after overnight shipping if that is what I need. The factory is buying the resisters a reel at a time (or similar large quantities)