8 Years ago, I had an idea to make a custom shortened scaffold frame, and had a similar problem finding what I needed to complete it. I needed 2 vinyl caps to cover the ends of some square tubes, kind of like a bicycle grip.
No matter where I looked at that time, I could not buy what I needed, unless I bought a large, expensive quantity of them.
I remembered from an assignment many years ago in high school, how willing companies often were to give away things to people who wrote letters to them. So, I wrote a letter to the supplier of the product, and told them I had created a new invention, and needed some samples of their product to complete it.
I received the 2 caps no one would sell me, in the mail a short time later, for free. :thumbsup: