I think that this is reading too much into a simple statement, and is one of the reasons that they are so limited in how they respond.
You have no way of knowing if they have “negotiated” at this time. I would venture that they have, as they have been shipping pre-release units for a while now. In the end, shipping rates, especially for a multi-box bulk item like this can change over time. There is no reason for them to give us numbers now only to have to modify them later (in July when the latest deadline is) should they change.