Brian Bartos , are you just trying to find a good quality floor instead of the Hickory one you mentioned ? Products under $7 or $8 per SQ FT can be tricky.

" our installer said the sample box we bought had about 40% scrap "

I'd be asking for proof of that. Sounds dubious.

At that price, and considering the condition, I suspect it was a return or it's been sitting somewhere a while. $4.18 is probably around what I would pay wholesale, maybe lower. Was it represented as new wood, sourced from a distributor? Did the box appear to be unopened?

Represented as new, from a well known national distributor. The box was missing one of the bands but appeared packed as from the factory

Wow. That's crazy.

What's a national distributor? Are you referring to a legitimate distributor or an online seller? Distributors are generally regional. They buy from the manufacturer and sell to dealers. As such, boxes of product go from warehouse to warehouse to warehouse so there's little chance for exposure that might cause warping. If you love that floor, I'd say buy it, but first I'd tell the seller what you experienced and ask if it's normal. Ask them what happens if you buy what you need and there's 40% waste.

I might recommend otherwise if I could think of another product that looks like what you like. It used to be something one could find readily from a few brands but seems to have fallen from favor.