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I think the lesson to be learned here is not about buying from local reefers but making sure you are getting what is described.
For dry goods, when you go pick something up have them test it right in front of you. If it is not ready when you get there, leave. The last thing you want is to help someone break the item you are buying from them (or some other piece of equipment) removing it from their system. Not only does this protect you as the buyer, but the seller knows the equipment left in working order. If it breaks after money has exchanged hands, it is no longer the sellers problem.
For livestock, only buy healthy looking livestock! Corals should be taken out of the tank after you get there and bagged immediately. If it is a fish/invert, it should minimaly be floating bagged in the tank or in a quarantine tank for easy catching. Anything else and you are asking for trouble.
As a general rule, check out their other posts to get a feel for what they are like. If they are constantly posting about issues with their system, maybe buying from them is not the best idea.
It is much easier to reply to a 'flake out' post with a description of what happened than having to post a bad experience thread (like this one).
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