"I have had good results getting samples from Maxim USA."

Unfortunately, the stories for "USA" and "Rest of World" are often very different... :-(
(not talking specifically about Maxim here)

"They do have a limit as to how many samples you can get."

I know there's a limit of 2 of any given device; do they also have a cumulative limit for all sample requests?

I did get the confirmation e-mail saying that my order had been accepted, so I'm assuming I'm not "blacklisted"