> Isn't Farnell a distributor? Maybe a better one than the other one you were

Yes, strictly speaking, but they provide a service: speed, stock,
one-stop shopping. That is value adding and that value needs to be
paid for.

If your distributor provides a service worth paying for then you
should use them if you need that service. My experience here tells me
that there are not many such distributors left.
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