Sorry to bring this up again

So I ordered a Toto drake from *********.com and I recently received an email stating that my order could not be completed, and a refund would be granted. I have read a lot of negative feedback about them and will probably purchase from somewhere else to avoid any further hassle. The point is that I now have the opportunity to reevaluate my purchase. I am considering the Eco Drake in place of the standard 1.6 model. I have found some pretty good prices on it. Are there any drawbacks to the Eco model considering it uses the E-max system and obviously less water?

The one place any lower flow toilet should not be used is on a sewer line that is in poor condition. Truth be told the difference between a 1.6 and a 1.28 toilet isn't going to make much difference.

Going down from a 5 or 3.5 to a lower one probably would though...

So I ordered a Toto drake from *********.com and I recently received an email stating that my order could not be completed,

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I bet that their web site is showing old pricing.
Toto had a price increase in February.

You're right, when I went back to the site the price had gone up 15 or so dollars. I just wish they could have asked me if I wanted to pay the new price and still get my shipment out at the same date. It was going to be nearly a month since I ordered it.

Can you get the toilet from a local supplier?

The pros on this site generally don't recommend buying toilets from online suppliers. If there is a flaw, say a hidden crack from the shipping process, you won't know until the unit is installed and you may not be able to return it.

How can anybody that sells them be out?
Just at this Bothell location I try to keep five of each Drake bowl type on hand.
And I also distribute out of Claremont CA just a little East of Los Angeles
Anchorage, Seattle, Marysville, Puyallup, Kenai, Wasilla, Spokane, just to name a few.

I'm a little confused. I don't think there are any local dealers that have Toto, although I will double check, but if there are not; should I consider an online vendor or not?

They list a few dealers here

Dealer Locator

Well, I found a dealer near me. I called and the price they were asking is about 150.00 more than I've found online. How risky is it to buy from an online dealer? Is it worth 150 extra dollars to buy locally. Also, the local dealer would have to order it themselves so where are they ordering it from?

What usually happens with a dealer is that they order multiple toilets at a time and they arrive strapped to a palet to a warehouse with a forklift and people that deal with heavy stuff every day. When you get one shipped to you, it may bounce around in the truck or on a conveyer belt and the guy drops it off at your back door. Depends a lot on how it is shipped. Now, that all being said, I've had 4 out of 5 arrive totally intact. One I never saw...it broke somewhere along the way, they realized it, and dealt with it - the only thing I knew is it took longer to arrive than they said. The boxes are designed for being shipped on a palet, not singly with a typical common carrier. Some places take the toilet out and repack it with additional padding (foam, etc). Some don't. Porcelain is quite strong, but VERY brittle if dropped. So, it's your choice...if you do order one directly, plan for the worst since it might need to go back and be reordered...you might have good luck, you might not.

When I used to ship around the country, I was breaking 20%

I got some calls months later after they had been in use.
Too late to turn them in for insurance.

By mistake I shipped a toilet from New York City to my home in the Seattle area. Much to my surprise, a big semi truck pulled up.

We installed it for a customer, but as soon as the tank filled with water, it started coming out a hair line crack in the tank.

We only hand deliver in the Seattle and Los Angeles area now.

I can't imagine how these companies are staying in business breaking 20% of their porcelain products. Not to say it doesn't happen, but rather; it's shocking. I think I will gamble and buy online. Hopefully everything turns out well. Thanks for all the advice.

I can't imagine how these companies are staying in business breaking 20% of their porcelain products.

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They don't make a profiit if all they are selling are toilets.
The last online company I talked to that sold everything, faucets, cabinets, rugs, lighting, there were breaking 5% of all their shipments.
I would guess that if they quit shipping toilets, it would go down to less then one percent.
I think they are taking the loss on the toilets so they can sell the other products.

They had talked to me about teaming with them, promising me a percentage of the sale, a finders fee, but I never saw a check from them for the business that I was handing over to them.