I've purchased a lot of fittings from Amazon - fast, free shipping (for Prime members) and hassle-free returns if needed. I'm more cautious with other sites and only order if they have good, penalty-free returns and are authorized vendors for the product. Re CA requirements, mfg's will usually specify if their products meet CA water restrictioin requirements.

faucetdirect.com

I've ordered faucets, toilets, and sinks online and have never had a problem. Amazon is good, but Plumber's Surplus is cheaper and they've always given me great service. But, many times you can buy locally just as cheap, particularly if you ask for 'contractor's price'. Our local plumbing supply shop will give you the contractor price just for asking and it is 37.5% off of hansgrohe and grohe retail prices, about 33% off Toto, and 35% off Kohler. I heard that Ferguson stores also extend the contractors discount to individuals.

I ordered all my sinks and faucets online for our new house...faucetsdirect.com. No issues.

I ordered a bathroom faucet, pedestal sink, and toilet online without any issues. I did check the model numbers with the manufacturers site to make certain I was getting what I expected.

Regarding plumbing for California, I have also been having the same questions. While shopping at a local bay area shop, they mentioned that you can no longer install systems which allow more than one element (e.g. shower head plus body spray) to be on at the same time. She said that since I pulled my permit before the end of June (?), that I could have such. In looking online, I see that some California Green Code limits taking effect Jan 1 of 2011: individual shower heads limited to 2gpm (not the 2.5 federal standard) at 80psi, and that if more than one can be on at the same time, the total has to be under 2gpm. I'm trying to find out how to be certain whether, with my Sept 2010 plan approval and my March 2011 actual permit payment, whether I can get the system I want, and not risk tearing it all out when the inspector comes.

I purchased my Newport Brass faucet from Amazon. It was a little more expensive than a couple of other places, but I used gift cards, which earn me $6.00 of gas for every $50 I spend, so it actually cost less. I also like that Amazon stands behind their sales.

Thanks for all your answers. I have not found any stores that are even close to the on line prices esp for the more expensive parts like the shower head on sliding bar, the roman tub fixtures and the lav faucets, they are a few hundred cheaper on line.
When I went on amazon I don't think that they did any Newport Brass themselves, it was secondary vendors. I will looks at faucetsdirect. Can the specs for the water consumption issues be found on line? Or Deeinohio do you know if they are the same restrictions in Ohio?
Thanks

Has anyone heard of Newportbrassfaucets.com? They have good prices and all the things I want (faucetsdirect doesn't have the shower head I want) but, I can't see any info about return policy.

I've had very good experiences ordering faucets, sink racks, soap dispensers, etc.
from faucetsdirect.com, efaucet.com, and amazon.

But I'm glad to have used my local plumbing supply house
for all the more complicated internal plumbing materials (diverters, etc.) for the bathrooms and showers.
I felt that the expert advise I got from the live human beings/experts there was invaluable.

I ordered from International Bath and Tile (plumbtile.com). They are located in San Diego. They have an actual showroom in San Diego but they sell online too, so it is the best of both worlds. Prices were great, free delivery and no sales tax. I called them and dealt with a live person. She was extremely knowledgeable about brands and parts. I had a great experience with them. There is a restock fee, so you really need to know what you want. But local plumbing supply houses will have a restock fee too.

Nanci: I looked at the one I purchased and Amazon shows it does not ship it to California or Vermont. Ohio does not have restrictions. They address this on the Newport Brass website and states that compliant models have a checkmark on the side of the box. I didn't see that it showed which models were compliant on the website, but I only checked one. You may do a little checking on more models to see if they mention it. Otherwise, you may have to check a local dealer to find out which Newport Brass faucets are compliant, then order. I wanted to buy local; however between the Toto toilet we ordered and the faucet, there was a $500 difference. That's too much for me to swallow.

Good luck.

I would love to go local too, but, the difference in price for all the fittings of the bathtub, shower and sinks is $1000! I will see if I can figure out which ones are ok for California, when I went on newport brass's website even looking at the technical specs I couldn't tell how much water they released.
I can look at the San Diego site since it is in Calif they should have the right ones, I would have to pay taxes, but, California is broke, so I am ok with that.
Thanks

call them and ask to speak to Terrie. She is great. I worked with her for several months.

Just wanted to let you know that I have had a wonderful experience with FaucetDirect.com! I have just completed my online order, it should be delivered next week.

I wanted to order from them (b/c of references and their website has helpful info) so I emailed customer service and asked if they would match prices. And you know what, they did for every single item! Plus free shipping and no tax. So far, I have had a great relationship via email with customer service rep Aerin. He has be very quick to respond to questions. When I mentioned that I was so happy with my experience and would be back to order door hardware, he offered me volume pricing. So I will continue to contact him with my future needs. We are in the middle of constructing a new home, so it all helps. (FYI FaucetDirect.com is part of Build.com which has lots of different product types, like hardware.com)

Also, sign up with Ebates.com and you can get different percentages cash back on online purchases. Go to their website to find out more info. Just make sure you follow their direction so your transactions qualify! It's free to sign up. I think you get a check quarterly? So I will happily wait to accept my 2% cash back on the $1600 I just spent!