Hi
I recently read this blog post on Leica lenses for normal people about what the author jokingly calls the “underground”: an ecosystem of specialised camera dealers, brokers and bespoke vendors whose names often circulate by word of mouth, being a safer alternative to buying used equipment on ebay or forums and offering gear that had its condition assessed accurately, mitigating the risk of purchasing used equipment as you know exactly what you buy. A prime example was the late Ken Hansen.
Now I wanted to know if there are similar people/stores in Europe as I live on this side of the pond and buying from overseas is often less than ideal. Having a topic collecting references could be beneficial to people in the same situation.
Hoping that this thread could be useful for the community, I thank you in advance and wish you a good day!