I've had great experiences buying flooring on the internet but then I always research e-tailers before buying from them. You should read their return policy very carefully to be sure you'll be able to return any damaged boxes/pieces. Then I suggest you search for ratings (e.g. epinions, this forum, etc.) about the company and review any complaints before making a decision.

I've had good experiences with both fastfloors.com and builddirect.com, even though I did have to file a claim for some broken tile with fastfloors once.

We just had a terrible experience. We bought bamboo floor from Builddirect.com and it came in not looking anything at all like the pictures and was 3 entirely different colors and finishes although the boxes say the same thing. The company did not step up and do anything at all for us. I was very disappointed and will never buy anything substantial from the web again.

the problem won't be with the internet store. They simply order from a distributor and ship it to you. The problem is usually with color, different than expected, other non mfctg issues. If you don't have someone local to look at it your chances of getting some kind of remedy is limited.

The problem with BuildDirect is that they do not stock anything. They are at the complete mercy of the distributors they buy from, so they send you a sample and then BuildDirect orders from the distributor - and that is where it goes wrong as the distibutor can ship whatever grade of flooring they want.

I made the mistake of buying over 2000 sq feet of flooring from BuildDirect that is now delaminating and cracking. Independent certified wood flooring inspector wrote in his report that delamination and cracking were manufacturing responsibility. BuildDirect has offered nothing more than to sell me more wood at a discount. I would never ever buy from them again. They sold me defective product and now will not support their product.