No, never, ever send cash. It is easy to get good reviews: Just have people set up an account and leave a review. I'd pass. Also, did you get a shipping quote? I'm sure that would negate any savings.

As kayozzy said, I cannot imagine what the shipping charges would be. Several years ago it was $60 in U.S. customs fees to have a perfume bottle send from Venice back home to the States. More recently I spent $120 to Fed-ex headphones to Spain. I was charged an additional $130 to get them thru Spanish customs!

Thanks for the replies! Yes, I already got a shipping quote for 2 crates and it's around the price I was expecting, so not a problem. And the price on the stone is good, with no middleman looking to profit on it.

I have family in Europe so they can walk in and make the payment in the showroom, just that he won't take payment over the phone or online. He seems to only accept a wire transfer. Quite odd. Unless he is going out of business and wants my cash.

Reputable businesses take credit cards. And, usually, when you buy something in another country using a credit card, you also get the best exchange rate, not to mention the purchase protection that comes with your card services.

Don't give these people cash. You'll never see your order.

Since you have family in Europe, just have them go to the showroom, make the purchase and ship it to you.

No, dont send cash. If you do, you run the risk of ending up with no cash, and no order. Dont trust reviews. A good share of them, do not tell the truth, and ones that are truthful, are somehow, deleted, so you never see them.

I have been told that US importers of stone flooring expect a 20% (or higher) breakage rate, that being one of the reasons for a big markup. Also be aware that any natural stone flooring is not guaranteed to be the same as the showroom sample. Sample may have lovely color variations and instead it comes in as "vanilla"...your 50% deposit is not refundable because of shading.