camera dealers

Twice in the last month I have been disturbed by stories posted on this site of newbies being taken advantage of by less than reputable dealers. perhaps we need a tutorial that would cover the need for choosing reliable dealers to buy camera equipment from.
I think in this age of the internet far too many people scout for the 'best deal' without knowing who they are buying from. Hey, we all want a bargain but our money is too hard earned to give it to scoundrels. Sadly by the time we hear of their problem the damage has already been done.
To top it off we have Nikon undercutting it"s own dealer net to sell direct to the public. That cannot endear the good dealers to Nikon or it's products. In my own area I now know of only 2 camera shops, one of which has already given up on selling any Nikon products. And the other shop will always try to steer you to 3rd party lenses instead of Nikon. This cannot be a good trend.
I wish we had a Nikon corporate rep on this site that we could complain to if only to help them hear another opinion. I guess all that we can do is advise newcomers to the best of our ability and share our hard-earned knowledge with them.

The link below is to a site that I find helpful when choosing where to buy. I myself either use B&H Camera on the internet or Calagaz Camera which is a local store for me in Mobile Alabama that has been around for a long time and has a very good reputation.

Best and Worst Stores | ResellerRatings

How about a dealer index on the site, where you can rate dealer from your own experience?

I think a dealer index of positive experiences is a great idea. We have two camera stores locally. One is a 5 star and the other is a 3.5. Both are good dealers, but the 5 star is friendly and helpful. Shameless plug... Imaging Depot in Layton, UT (5 star), Imaging Depot Ogden, UT (3.5 star).

I just received my D7100 from DigitalRev in Hong Kong... £200 less than UK prices and arrived in 4 days. It is a "Grey Import", but they provide a warranty service covering its return to HK should anything go wrong. I would have no problem recommending them!

I agree a listing of trusted dealers would be a nice addition here.

Ron you are correct we sometimes chase the best price while not seeing the big picture. At times the lowest price really isn't.

I've only been burned once, back in the day before the internet. Yes I'm that old. Bought a lens & a tripod at a good price from a place in Maine USA. While the price for the goods was as advertised I was royally screwed on the shipping costs. Lesson learned.

I try to buy locally, but the lone remaining camera store in my town does not care & aren't helpful.

I now use B&H, Adorama & Cameta. Never a problem with them.

Use top sites with good reputations, usually a brick and mortar like B&H isn't going to take advantage. One thing to keep in mind is that Nikon pretty much fixes prices. Anything under Nikon's established prices or rebates is a red flag. Dealers push third party lenses because they have a higher profit margin on them and other 3rd party accessories (promaster). A lot of third party stuff is good, but you must do research. For example, Promaster HGX filters are excellent and the repellamax coating is amazing.