I buy almost exclusively from the web. Don't be discouraged by someone who may have a bad experience. If you aren't sure about the designer or vendor, simply do a test stitch out before doing the real thing. A poorly done design won't hurt your machine, it just won't look good. Free designs are there for you to give the site a test drive before purchasing, use them! You can also get really nice designs free from the Singer, Babylock, and other embroidery machine manufacturers websites.