Wow, sounds like a great place to buy rocks.
Well, I would also suggest if you can find a credible
LFS in your area who can provide you with
LR in the $5.99/lb (not base rock). It's a lot exciting hand picking rocks your own too.
With that said, since you're in middle america, most of your LRs there were probably ordered from Mike and Zack to begin with. The only difference is, it is you and not them who gets to hand pick.
Both are great ways to get LRs. Just don't get it from Ebay. I did mine (in hopes of finding the best deal) and ended up getting a 20 lb base rock for $4.99/lb. I disputed through Pay Pal and got all my money back. Used that money to buy rocks from the
LFS. had a great time. But the dispute process wasn't fun at all. So I promised never to buy anything live from the internet.
Experiences vary. There are tons of hobbyists out there who had great results from liverock.com and marinedepotlive.com. The difference between the two, one's from Florida and one's from Orange County California. Both great places to shop from, I heard.