Hi Liquidskin,
I’m not so sure that the best “deals” can always be found online because this will always depend on the parts of each person’s personal value equation that are most important to them.
There is more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase in post #13 here which will give you a much more realistic way to assess “value” of a mattress purchase than just the raw material cost of a mattress.
Post #2 here also has more about the different ways to buy a mattress that can help you minimize the risks involved with each of them since the “risk” of a mattress purchase is also part of its value.
I think that the biggest mistake you may have made was overemphasizing the importance of price and mistaking the cost of a mattress (or the materials) with the “value” of a mattress purchase. This may have led you to believe that the value of what you purchased was better than it actually was (it was never the best “match” for your wife for example in terms of PPP and how well you sleep on a mattress is the most important part of its “value”) .
I would also read read this post and this post and this topic (about their polyfoam and sources) and this post (presumably from a past employee) before buying anything else from FBM or considering them as a supplier and the sad truth is that what you believed you were purchasing was different from what you actually purchased because FBM doesn’t sell Talalay latex … they only say they do.
If you are attracted to the idea of designing and building your own mattress out of separate components and a separate cover then the first place I would start is by reading option 3 in post #15 here and the posts it links to (and option #1 and #2 as well) so that you have more realistic expectations and that you are comfortable with the learning curve, uncertainty, trial and error, or in some cases the higher costs that may be involved in the DIY process. While it can certainly be a rewarding project … the best approach to a DIY mattress is a “spirit of adventure” where what you learn and the satisfaction that comes from the process itself is more important than any cost savings you may realize (which may or may not happen).
If you are dealing with an unreliable supplier for the sake of their prices then it can be even more difficult because you have an additional layer of uncertainty because what you believe you are buying (either in terms of the type of latex or the firmness level of the latex) is different from what you actually receive and if you need to make changes to your layers so that your design is more suitable for you in terms of PPP then your reference points would be skewed because you would be basing the changes you make on a belief that your current layering is different from what it actually is.
If you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of in your area and the tutorial post also includes a link to the members here that sell mattresses online and many of them make latex mattresses that use different types and blends of latex (that they describe accurately) with a range of different designs, options, features, return or exchange policies, and prices that may have better “value” than a DIY approach.
Phoenix