I can even join Prime and then save $24, bringing it to a total of $39 in discount. And all I'd need to do is join the Amazon ecosystem and I'd probably even be one of the customers that Amazon would make a net loss on, to my gain!

Honestly, that just trips my too-good-to-be-true alarm bells. The times I'd need Amazon I can usually find a similarly priced competitor, where buying is more of a breeze and bliss than Amazon, having to work through the special conditions of coupons, terms, etc.

There was only one case in my experience, in 2013 or -14, where Amazon was the "only choice", when I "want-needed" a cheap China-made USB microscope, and Amazon had it, but not a single merchant on eBay. The device was quite fresh on the market, and about half a year later was also available on eBay. I waited.

To muddy the waters even more, I'm also in the US and I'm seeing $215 (plus the $15 coupon) on Amazon.