I made a point about how much value there is in paying a tiny bit extra to support members of this community, that provide parts and invaluable resources. In no way have I said "Don't go to your local dealer! They are ripping you off!". People can buy parts wherever they would like. I get a discount every time I go to my local dealer, have been going there for years. As some of the more experienced people have left, I often find myself finding the part number for the guy. There are many vendors here that I prefer to give my money to, to be able to call someone who knows what they are talking about. Do you have to do that? Nope.
There is always a middleman if you are buying OEM parts, just like what was mentioned earlier in this thread.
The parts department has to make money anyhow. Just like you said, you just need to get to know them, and they will eventually give you a discount. Usually, if you just went to the dealership website you would get an instant discount by shopping online. Why do you think you get an instant discount to shop online? It is cheaper to operate an online parts department, people pick their own parts, less people working to fulfill orders, less phone calls that you are paying someone to answer; overall cheaper and less overhead. They are also selling parts nationwide usually, and not just over the counter. What is lost in this equation is the number of people with knowledge and expertise.
This thread is about Joey, who seemed like a great resource and also was a middle man selling OEM parts. There was value in what he provided, putting together kits of parts needed to do various jobs. It is really too bad that he ripped off so many people, completely destroyed his reputation. If you want to disagree with me just to disagree with me, go ahead, but it feels like we are talking in circles about the same thing.