So I will keep the story as quick as I can:

My wife and I travel frequently and love to take photographs, problem being we only had our phones to use.  I decided to purchase what I think is a decent DSLR (D3500) for an entry level person such as myself.  When looking at prices I found one on Amazon with a bunch of extras for $609 and pulled the trigger.  After my purchase I decided to look into additional info on the Camera through Nikon's website.  That is where I was informed of "grey market" cameras and the fact that Nikon would not honor warranty, or fix broken cameras even at my expense.

Sure enough I look at my order and the purchase on Amazon is via a 3rd party who is not an authorized Nikon dealer and thus falls into the "grey market".  This has me more slightly concerned.  Has anyone ever run into issues because of this?  If so what was your experience?

Thanks in advance and I am sure I will return with plenty of other questions related to actually taking pictures (once I read the newb sticky of course).

I'd send it back.

How good was the deal? If price is really important to you then you may be OK.

I have not knowingly bought gray market Nikon equipment but also I have never had a need to get authorized service on any of my various Nikons. YMMV.

Agree. I’d rather avoid all gray market stuff.

And if it were me, if I were dead set on getting one of those types of cameras, I'd look on Facebook Marketplace.   I see those things all the time for sale for stupid cheap.

Personally, I'd look into a D7200, D7500, or something like that.     Regardless, good luck and we will be looking forward to your pics!!!!!

I would avoid camera bundles more than i would avoid grey market.

There is a healthy used camera/lens market out there. The reason to consider it is due to cost of good lenses. In my opinion good lenses first.

Options are overwhelming for beginners!

Thanks for the input everyone.  I have contacted Amazon to see about a return and was basically told I have to wait for it to show up.  If it is in good condition and functional I may just keep it.  The price was $10 more than the camera alone on Nikon's site but came with a cleaning kit, extra SD cards, reader, tripods, etc.  Granted much of the extras were low cost options but something to start with until I get the hang of things.

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A few pictures from my travels for good measure.  Looking forward to having an actual camera!

If you send it back, check out Costco for deals. Normally the camera comes with more than one lens, cards, etc

That is why Amazon offers a warranty package, usually on the right side of the screen. One click and it adds it to the order with the item.    You can probably go back and buy it.

I bought one for my computer and an ice maker.  No way my ice maker lives 5 years.  First one lasted 1 year and one day.  I had a full refund on my credit card in 5 minutes with a few clicks.  Second one only made it 6 months into the OEM warranty.  Full refund from vendor and full refund for the cost of the extended warranty from amazon.

Surprisingly, my computer outlived the warranty.............this time.

Personally i would keep it, and consider it a lesson learned. I order from Amazon only when absolutely necessary, because they give merchants the ability to conceal their identity and location. I ordered a microphone where the seller was in China, it took 6 weeks to arrive in the US.

You shouldn't have any problems because I have a Nikon D40x that has >150,000 clicks on the shutter, and it still functions perfectly. When it needs service etc, it will probably be obsolete and not worth the expense of repairing when you can buy another camera that is more capable.

As said above, you probably won't have any problems, Nikon cameras are pretty durable. Now if it was a high dollar lens I'd suggest you return it.

For me I always make sure I'm buying a USA camera. Many times if there's an issue it happens early on and that's where a factory warranty is what you want. Additionally, my stuff is for work and periodically goes to be cleaned and adjusted and Nikon is pretty fussy about gray market stuff, I really don't want to deal with that to save a couple bucks.

Personally I think Amazon has turned into a shitshow.

You probably won't have any problems. Just keep it out of dust/dirt and extreme rain.

A good rule of thumb though is to never buy a camera "with a bunch of extras" this is most likely a grey market or a "too good a deal to pass up" but usually filled with super low-quality garbage. If you don't know what you need for photography, stay away from all of these packaged deals - they're junk ***ESPECIALLY THE LENS PACKAGES with stuff included***

Quick update - Camera has been in my possession for a few weeks now and everything functions and works well on it.  Have also purchased an additional lens and rigid camera backpack.  

It was a package deal that came with extras like cleaning kits, straps, flash, tripod and carry bag.  They are all very low quality stuff that will mostly go unused (with the exception of a few items).  It has been tons of fund getting pictures of my dogs, wife, and creatures out and about behind my house.

What would be some good starter things to acquire I have not already listed?  Should I be investing in lens filters of some kind?  So far I have the standard  AF-P 18-55mm lens and purchased a AF-P 70-300mm lens.  Thanks for any input you folks have provided and will provide.

Other than cleaning stuff, I'd honestly use the camera a ton and go from there.  No point in a CP filter if you aren't taking photos of stuff that one would make a difference, UV filters are kinda pointless, etc.  A copy of Understanding Exposure off Amazon or a local bookstore for $15-20 is a great buy though.

The D3500 is a good choice, has lots good features and above all it is lightweight, especially good when you travel a lot, and you have to carry every ounce on your back.

I would think about a Nikon 10-20 wide-angle, it is mostly plastic but I like plastic because it is lightweight. Many people see it as low-quality, but if you witness the plastic in Glocks, Ruger, etc there is no problem.

If you take photos of outdoors you may want to get a "circular polarizer," you  need this kind because the other kind interferes with the auto-focusing mechanism. You can get addition equipment etc as you gain more experience in you using it.

Also you may want to buy a book on how to take photos, I recommend buying your own book, that way you can always have it to reference and you could write it in if you had to, but personally I make liberal use of the stickies.

Adorama runs package deals and I thought they were good to go