How to tell when your buying from Amazon directly or via a 3rd party?
If you like to shop from Amazon but like dealing with them directly, here's how you can confirm you're buying from them and not a third party.
It's actually quite simple, when you look at the item page, such as here (click on the image):
See the line above I've highlighted and put a giant orange arrow? That's the line you want to be reading. As long as it says "Ships and sold by Amazon.com" you're in good shape.
Usually items are sold both by Amazon and 3rd parties - see the "More Buying Choices" section to in the right hand column? In the above picture, those are all 3rd parties. However, look at this picture (again, click on the image):
In this example, this item is sold by a 3rd party - see the yellow highlighted "availability" line above? However, it's also available directly from Amazon.com at a higher price - see the right hand column more buying choices. Some third parties are completely reputable but some are not. In this case, you could still choose Amazon as your seller by clicking on their link on the right, you'd pay a bit more, but shipping would be free. Due to a rash of counterfeit memory cards flooding the market on ebay and even Amazon 3rd parties, it's become more important than every to make sure you're buying directly from a reputable dealer.
Good luck!