Have you bought from them? Pretty sure you have to be a company to order from them. Contacted them a year or two ago and that was the response they gave me. Not sure if they've changed their policy since then.
Have not bought from them. Didn't know about their sales policy. Although I see under the section "About Parker Steel" their minimum order is $85.00 so it might not be viable for your needs.
Ok, this overpriced rod thing has been bugging me for a while so I finally broke down and ordered a massive order from a metal supply company. They're aluminum rods, 15mm OD with a 2mm wall. They sent me a small sample and it works perfectly with my gear. There's plenty to experiment with in making my own DIY little setup. Of course I also have a ton of extra material. If anyone's interested in acquiring some cheap 15mm rods for their own setups I'd be glad to help out. How does 20$ for a 12" pair sound?