Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is everyone's thoughts on this? I recently went to Ferguson and Weaver and Sons and while I found some things I liked I can find nearly identical looking items on Amazon for 1/10th of the price.

I know everyone here buys waterworks, but on a limited budget where are people finding products that are both stylish and don't break.

If there is that much of a price difference, it's likely a Chinese knockoff.
But yes you can certainly find real deal items for cheaper as it eliminates overhead of maintaining a retail outlet by selling online.

Is buying a chinese knock off bad?

NP. If not produced for a US brand, there's a lot greater chance the metal could have lead where you don't want it to be. No brand China merchandise is sketchy for anything you will use for eating or drinking.

Anonymous wrote:All our fixtures are from Amazon, but they are also all established brands (Delta, Moen, Krauss). I tried some cheaper ones but they all went back for one reason or another, which is the main advantage of buying on Amazon. We had zero issues with the ones we kept.

On the other hand, I wanted a bottle cleaner and Delta and Moen’s were all plastic and more expensive than the no name brand that was metal. Two years in and it’s still perfectly fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is everyone's thoughts on this? I recently went to Ferguson and Weaver and Sons and while I found some things I liked I can find nearly identical looking items on Amazon for 1/10th of the price.

I know everyone here buys waterworks, but on a limited budget where are people finding products that are both stylish and don't break.

If there is that much of a price difference, it's likely a Chinese knockoff.
But yes you can certainly find real deal items for cheaper as it eliminates overhead of maintaining a retail outlet by selling online.

Is buying a chinese knock off bad?

Anonymous wrote:What is everyone's thoughts on this? I recently went to Ferguson and Weaver and Sons and while I found some things I liked I can find nearly identical looking items on Amazon for 1/10th of the price.

I know everyone here buys waterworks, but on a limited budget where are people finding products that are both stylish and don't break.

If there is that much of a price difference, it's likely a Chinese knockoff.
But yes you can certainly find real deal items for cheaper as it eliminates overhead of maintaining a retail outlet by selling online.

I got a plumbing fixture on Wafair and the finish is wearing off already.

Plastic vs. metal.

Anonymous wrote:As long as it’s sold by Amazon and a real brand I would.

Aren't you worried about counterfeits? Amazon mixes SKUs with 3rd party sellers, so you could easily be getting inventory from some rando faker even if "sold by amazon"

As long as it’s sold by Amazon and a real brand I would.

All our fixtures are from Amazon, but they are also all established brands (Delta, Moen, Krauss). I tried some cheaper ones but they all went back for one reason or another, which is the main advantage of buying on Amazon. We had zero issues with the ones we kept.

Also make sure it’s sold by Amazon and not by some unknown sellers. Unless you are well-versed with the full-line of products from the manufacturers, I would be careful with Amazon. What looked identical online could have plastic parts and fitting versus metals and brass. You can’t tell unless you hold the two side-by-side. I had very good success with Build.com and a local plumbing distributor my builder recommended. They were more expensive than Amazon and Home Depot/Lowes but I received good customer service.

Yes, the issue isn't where you buy, but what. Amazon sells Moen and Delta, but also a bunch of brands I've never heard of. Some might be fine, but others are new ultra-cheap startups. I'd figure out what you want first, then you can buy it from Amazon or Home Depot or another reputable retailer.

I don't need anything super stylish, so just got a midrange ($100) bathroom sink faucet in person at Home Depot, where I could see it and also where we could easily return or exchange it if needed.

Here’s a good source for faucet info:

https://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.Best.Value.htm

You need to make sure you have the exact model #.
I ordered from Amazon for a specific product and Amazon got it wrong 3 times - and I am uncertain if in the end I actually had the right product.

So these items you find on Amazon are visually similar? Or are they the same Brand and Model as you find at Ferguson/Build.com?

I’d feel much more comfortable buying a well known brand on Amazon. I’m not 100%sure that the fixtures on Amazon or other big box stores are the same quality as that same brand and model at a plumbing supply store. Sometimes the fixtures are made slightly better for the plumbing supply stores. I would definitely not feel comfortable buying a Chinese random brand fixture. I’m not confident in their quality plus if I had a warranty issue I doubt it would be covered.

What is everyone's thoughts on this? I recently went to Ferguson and Weaver and Sons and while I found some things I liked I can find nearly identical looking items on Amazon for 1/10th of the price.

I know everyone here buys waterworks, but on a limited budget where are people finding products that are both stylish and don't break.