Hope you don't mind me hijacking . . . anyone who has used buytile.com? I've found some new lovely Daltile "Stone a la Mod" for backsplash -- they have the best pricing -- and in fact, the only place that carries it.

I would not order online for a few reasons. First after researching tile prices for several months, I can assure you the prices you pay online at Tile Shop as well as most stores that offer free shipping have those charges built into the price and you're paying way over what many of the tiles cost in the store and the difference can be quite substantial. Secondly, every vendor I spoke to told me that as long as I was returning full boxes of product, they would allow the excess tiles to be returned for credit and/or exchange in the case of damaged tiles and Tile Shop even has a 1 year return policy. And lastly, most places offer a discount if you purchase your tile through your tile person which in the case of The Tile Shop can be as much as 15%.

I bought approx. 800 sq ft of travertine tile from discountfloors (also called fastfloors). Our local tile store wanted something like $14.00 sq ft. Online I got it for approx. $7.00 sq ft. Yeah I paid for shipping, but I still saved a bundle. The Florida Pietra Art chiseled edge travertine is not packaged well by Florida Tile so as a result several bundles needed to be replaced because they were damaged in shipping. The owner of discountfloors was great to work with and replaced all broken tiles in a timely fashion.

I also bought all of our hardwood (approx. 800 sq ft) online through another company and we had an equally wonderful experience. We saved quite a bit and got quality pre finished hardwood.

I saved about $200 purchasing some trim tile pieces from http://www.southcypress.com - even tho the shipping cost was outrageous, it still was way better overall pricing than my local shops.

The whole transaction was professional, and all the pieces arrived intact (very well packed).

Thanks for the input! Lukkiirish, thanks for the tip about the price being higher online. But I called one of The Tile Shops in MN and the lady told me that it would be the same price whether I ordered it online or bought it from the store. Is she just feeding me a line? Unfortunately, I don't have a tile guy, as I've done the other tiling in our house myself.

Judydel, good to know about fastfloors. I've been looking at tile through their site as well, as it seems like their prices are as low or lower than most other places.

Anyone else care to share???

I'm tempted to take the plunge too. Ordering online will save us around $400 with shipping included. Only 2 websites carry the tile we're looking for though.

I ordered tiles online from Anchor Bay Tile and found that the customer service was attentive, shipping was rapid, tiles were very well packed with no breakage, and price was lower than locally-available options.

By comparison, I struggled with customer service at Ann Sacks, couldn't get the sales rep to return phone calls or emails and ultimately gave up.

It appears that that there are considerable differences in service, price, shipping costs, etc. across vendors.

(My first post ever!)
We were doing a kitchen renovation about 5 years ago and I searched all over for the perfect tile. When I finally found exactly what I wanted -- and paid a BUNDLE for it upfront -- the tile store went bankrupt and I never saw a single tile or penny out of it.

But I did get the name and maker of the tile -- which was a handpainted Spanish tile, Inalco, the Rhoda series. I was able to find it at one online store -- one that doesn't seem to be around any more (barefootfloors.com -- there's a site by that name, but it is different). Anyway-- the decorative 2x2's I had paid $12 each for at the local place were $2 each at the online store, and so on up the scale of sizes. So at least I didn't have to pay the same astronomical price twice. Tiles arrived quickly -- a few broken, but not many. I don't remember having any complaints.

Now I'm in a different house and just starting the kitchen re-do here. I found the perfect tile the first time out, and got great service at the local family-owned/operated store that has been in business for 50 years, so I will buy from them with confidence.

I'm wondering if you might barter with the local shops a bit on the price: if you let them know what you would pay online, and that you'd be willing to pay a bit more to do business with them locally, they might make it worth your while. Just beware if they seem a bit too eager and whatever you do, don't pay for it all upfront before delivery!!! :)

I ordered my Horus Art tile online from buytile.com and had a great experience. It was less expensive than other online sources, shipping was prompt and accurate, and the salespeople were very helpful. Highly recommended.