It's a $30m company where the top 20 shareholders own ~76%. So...

It's a $30m company where the top 20 shareholders own ~76%. So there's a bit over $7m in stock that could potentially be on the market on the day you're trying to buy.

The issue around low volume trades and your broker charging you a minimum amount based on each of these trades is nothing to do with manipulation it's just how your broker charges for trades. Given the low liquidity, sitting there on the bid while the market slowly munches on your order is going to be expensive unless you find a broker that lets you bulk orders.