Welcome to capitalism
We enjoy a mostly free-market society. That means products generally sell for exactly what we are willing to pay for them. Period. The only time lawyers, insurance, etc come into play is when deciding whether or not to enter the business in the first place. If consumers are not willing to pay the price you "must" charge, then they won't, and all the lawyer and insurance fees are irrellevant.
Why does a can of coke cost $0.60 in a vending machine? Certainly some water, corn sugar, caramel color, caffeine, and flavors don't cost that much! Well, it's because that's what people are willing to put in the machine in order to drink one. That's also why they cost more at airports. Less competition lets them increase the price...again to the point people are still willing to pay.
(Ok, there are complexities around this, but in general, this law applies to pretty much everything in a free-market society.)
Personally, I think Van's is priced right. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have sent all that money for the 8. I also think Spam Cans ARE overpriced, so I'm not going to buy one of them, at least now new.
Manufacturers give discounts to groups because it potentially reduces variability in sales and labor in kitting a batch. I don't think Van has much trouble in that area.
I say go for it, but don't expect much. Van knows you'll probably still buy the thing anyway. In which case, he need not budge. But it never hurts to ask.
Good luck!