ZoologyGirl actually brings up a good idea. My Nikkor 60mm micro came from Cameta Camera as a refurbished lens. The reason it was refurbished - it was a store demo lens. Many times the refurbished equipment are store demo items or even as simple as opening the box and messing with the item (which still sounds like a "demo").
That said, I'd only go refurbished on a body if it met 4 criteria:
- Is the store reputable (i.e., not eBay, though some stores do sell on it)?
- Is the item refurbished by Nikon?
- What is the shutter actuation number (this is particularly of your interest as prosumer and pro bodies typically have stronger shutter mechanisms with higher actuation ratings/life)?
- If 2 is met, is the savings of purchasing reburbished and only getting a 90-day warranty from Nikon (15-20% or more) worth it versus getting NIB and longer warranty coverage (1 year for bodies and 5 year for lenses I believe)?
A decent read:
http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00but7
Sometimes refurbished is the only route to go. We're all on a budget whether rich or poor.