Many of those eels take special care requirements, and can be susceptible for fungal diseases.. You can't just treat them like any other wholesale fish, and turn a profit. They take extra time and attention, and that's probably what is detouring the wholesaler.. Not to mention jumping out.
Sounds like hes just making up excuses.. Eels tend not to have alot of profitability as well, as not many people purchase them frequently (like tetra).. People who want large eels, probably already own them.. People who do research realize they get huge.. They also ship them in high numbers with hardly in water, bringing down the initial cost.. So it might sound like a great deal to get a box of 50 eels.. but after you sell 2 in 2 months and still have 48 eels around for another year, you will remember not to re-order them.
Did you check asian fish markets that sell live food? I hear the Albus are commonplace at these places because of that low shipping cost.