As a regular LE buyer he should definitely not be paying MSRP or shipping that is included in Stern’s MSRP pricing. My experience is that several hundred off is typical for a popular release and maybe more for one that doesn’t sell out quickly. JJP’s are a different story and usually go for list + shipping, but I’ve found some distributors like Abel Electronics are more flexible with accepting credit cards at no charge, not requiring a deposit, etc.