Buying a refurbished DSLR?

Should I be cautious about buying one? I really want a Nikon D3000 which run about $500, and all the refurbished ones I see are like $400. I'm just really worried I'm going to be disappointed when I get it and starts falling apart when I take a picture, lol.

A truly refurbished camera has been tested and checked by a qualified technician in your own country. In general these take more time than the quality control in the factory does. They often come with 90 days warranty which is plenty to find any hidden defects.

I would certainly buy refurbished, in fact I often envy the buyers in the US of A who have a lot more refurbished products to choose from

The only thing to consider when getting one is that the warranty period is generally shorter than a new one

Strikes me that the price is slightly high for a model recently superseded.

I don't know about the price but refurbs can be a very good deal.

The question to answer is: who did the refurbishing? And if it wasn't Nikon, I would want some serious info on who did it.

If done by Nikon, you would probably have a better camera than a brand new one because it has gone through more testing and checking. Be aware that refurbs, for the most part, are brand new camera that were returned because the buyer changed his/her mind about what to get or something similar. And they just can't be sold as new anymore.

Can be a very good deal. Another possibility as to where the camera came from it could have been on the shelf at some store and just didn't sell - never opened but returned. It can't be sold as new.

I don't buy refurb always opting for the 1-year warranty but there are plenty of folks who've have excellent luck with refurbished gear.

Just, as stated, make sure the camera was certified by Nikon.