Did I not mentions that ANY real specialist bearing shop will keep them ?
As for cost you are in the USA & I am in Australia so I have no idea about bearing costs in the US
Most stuff over there is cheaper than down here even when I allow for currency conversion which is to be expected in a market that is 10 times bigger
I pay $ 15 WHOLESALE price for the bearings I use in Spindles because I want good ones that will go the distance .
Now I can get them down as low as $ 3 a piece which would be fine for a low load application like a shopping trolley .
Unless people have worked in manufacturing they end up with unrealstic ideas about what it actually costs to make things.
Unless they have worked in warehousing & transport they have unrealistic ideas about the logistical costs involved in getting those bearings into the purchasers hands .
Now a $ 5 US bearing direct from the factory could be an OK general use bearing but at retail level there are a lot more costs and anywhere from 2 to 5 more profit mark ups many of which are 50 % or more .
Now those Amazon bearings could be genuine, bought from a closing down dealer at below wholesale costs price or they could be NOS stuff being dumped to pay a tax bill because it is cheaper to loose money than borrow money or they could be fakes , quality control rejects , flood damaged etc,etc,etc .
Every day I hear the consumer advocates hammering home the adage "If it is too good to be true then it isn't true"
And every day I hear about beople being hood winked , scammed or products failing because they did not stop and ask that single question
When we see something that appears to be a bargan the natural instinct is to grab it now while you can then consider why it was a bargan latter on .
I have just bought 1/2 ton of synthetic stone for almost nothing but I know the reason is because at the end of June it will be illegal to sell it so the vendor is dumping his stock and will probably put an economic loss claim aainst the government to cover the $ 2000 he lost on every slab of stone I have bought