Hi g1981c,
I certainly can’t tell you what to choose but I can help you with how to choose (see post #1 here). You would need to search to see if the same mattres was available elsewhere for less (I don’t keep track of prices) but I can tell you that this is significantly below PLB’s MAP pricing (Minimum Advertised Pricing).
As you can see in post #15 here… I would also suggest you avoid the temptation to try to design and build your own mattress from scratch or to try and “duplicate” a mattress using different materials unless you are intrigued by the project regardless of what it costs you, are prepared for the steep learning curve and time involved, and are fine with the costs involved in making mistakes (both financially and in terms of time and quality of sleep). My priorities would be to start local and then add online manufacturers if the value was significantly better (I usually consider 20% difference between local and online as being roughly equivalent value)…
Since the PLB mattress you are looking at seems to be very good value … and similar to many similar latex mattresses sold by online manufacturers and better than their MAP pricing … I would certainly consider it.
I would first make sure though that the mattress you are buying and your sales receipt is marked as new (you can check the law tag when you receive it), not a floor model or return, and that they are authorized dealers and that you will have the full warranty coverage.
If all of this looks to be above board … then I would say it’s good value and then you would need to decide on whether the tradeoff of having no exchange was worth the lower cost based on your own personal value equation. Exchanges add to the cost of a mattress and whether this was a good idea for you would depend on your confidence level that the mattress was a good match for your needs and preferences. The good news is that you can always make a mattress that is a little on the firm side softer by adding a topper but it’s much more difficult to make a mattress where the comfort layers are too thick and soft any firmer if you discover that they are too thick and soft for good alignment. I would compare this to some of the online manufacturers listed in post #21 here as a “value reference”.
This way you would be choosing between “good and good” and could make your choice based on all the objective, subjective, and intangible differences that were most important to you.
Phoenix