I used to hang around on the Appliances forum quite a bit but in recent months have been spending more time on the Kitchens forum. However, the time has finally come to start ordering my appliances and I discover that what I thought was meticulous research about prices overlooked one simple fact: I based my budget on prices from Universal Appliances and just now discovered that Universal is California based and I will have to pay 8.25% sales tax if I buy from them. I may ultimately have to do that but it does represent a big chunk of change and so I'm interested in finding out what other online retailers people have used with success for major appliances. Mostly I'm looking for Thermador with an LG washer and dryer and probably a Modern Aire hood liner.

One of the things I liked about Universal was that there was no restocking fee. Most of the others I've looked at seem to have them. Since I've spent months looking at appliances and don't really expect to have to return anything for any reason except shipping damage or defective item, should I be concerned about whether or not a company charges restocking fees?

Thanks for any recommendations you can offer.