I buy my new Pentax stuff at a camera dealer in town. They order it from the Pentax distributor and call me when it's in. I could order camera equipment myself, but I do what I do, as I want to do my part to keep this bricks and mortar store in business, I do so as I appreciate the expertise / advice of the staff , one in particular at the store and I like having a camera store nearby that I can check out and see what's new, not from Pentax/Ricoh...but from Canikon, Fuji, etc. I'm a camera enthusiast, plain and simple.
I've been patronizing camera stores since '68 and I 'like' this tradition. I also like to keep business in town alive , if I can, particularly the businesses I like to patronize. When it comes to a camera store, I like to walk in, check out the wares...it's always been sort of a treasure trove for a gear aficionado like myself.
I could.... order everything online and I do order a lot of stuff (non camera equipment) online. But for camera equipment, it's different. In my fair burg we've gone from about 8 traditional camera stores a decade ago...to three and I'm not sure about their longevity.
I would have no hesitation ordering photography equipment online, if I lived in an isolated area. It's handy, quick and to your door...or the local post office, if you choose. Convenient.
But that's me. Others may differ.