In general, do not trust a dealer you or your mates have never dealt with before. If you want to take the plunge, be sure you factor in the gamble you could lose all your money in a fake or lemon.
That said, I buy half my knives online from a guy I have never met but have only conversed on line. He sells me genuine stuff. Decent return policy. eBay.
It's hard to answer here because of sponsor issues. But perhaps if you go to Reddit r/knifeclub, where discussion can be free of sponsorship issues?