Why should LP's customers have to call/email and haggle over the price? A lot of online stores, especially in the electronics industry, advertise at one price, but then that price is lower once you actually add the item to your cart. Perhaps the MAPs with scuba gear companies don't allow that though. I could care less about the manufacturer warranty myself. As long as the retailer stands behind the product for a reasonable amount of time, that's all I need.
From what I hear, the federal government is looking at forcing online retailers to start charging sales tax on all purchases, then delivering that tax to local government where the item is shipped too. I've heard it wasn't going to be a flat rate tax, but would be taxed at the exact same rate of each locality. What a nightmare for the retailer, having to track and pay different amounts of tax across the entire country. If that happens it will be less appealing to purchase items from online retailers like LP. You'd think they would be looking for ways to bring in more customers, not drive them away. But what do I know, I'm no ivy league marketing guru.