I forgot to mention, I often times check the manufacturer's website for direct sale if I find something on Amazon. Quite often I find that the Amazon price with "free" Prime shipping is almost identical to the manufacturer's lower price with normal shipping charges. Amazon is just burying shipping charges into the base price.

This is not always the case, and you will indeed find some things cheaper on Amazon than the manufacturer's site.

Also, for things where the newest version is good but previous versions are maybe not as good - I buy those direct from the manufacturer to avoid potential issues of older product from Amazon. This is not usually an issue for emergency/survival/prep gear which this thread is about - more so for electronics. But I do not always trust Amazon to deliver the latest and greatest version (more so their third party sellers).

Generally, I usually buy either from a large company (Amazon, Cabela's, etc.) or directly from the manufacturer. I admit to rarely buying from small businesses (except locally - I actually seek out small businesses in my neighborhood). I have been disappointed several times to get a shipment of obviously used/returned merchandise from small shops. You can't blame them all for bad practices like this, but it does give you pause after you've been bitten by this on multiple ocassions.