Yeah, there's always a significant risk on eBay. That's why I've almost never bid higher than $200 on anything on there, even though I do regularly buy stuff that way. I always check for a lot of conditions. Immediate payment required is usually a flag for me. Feedback of less than 700, or a negative recently (particularly if I can find out what item it was on) is a red flag. I won't buy from someone outside the US, and I check the currency religiously (had a neighbor buy a Tiffany bracelet. Thought she was getting a steal at $57. What she didn't know was that she bid in Great Britain pounds, and with the conversion rate, the used bracelet cost her about $40 more than a new one.) I also will not buy from a seller who insists on the US Postal Service, or does not show me at least one good, clear photograph of what I'm buying. I look for high-traffic sellers, because they're almost certainly making eBay their sole job. They'll take care of things better. I do get a little irritated at sellers with their own "checkout" system, though. A seller needs my name and shipping information only. Anything more than that, and a (heated) email discussion will ensue.
I read the full description, and any complaints ("serious bidders only please", "I only ship on the Tuesday following full payment received", "I require immediate payment/paypal/credit card because I've been burned before"), direct contradictions, or unusually terse or poor grammar will cause me to move on, even if it's the only item like it and I want it pretty bad.I use money orders exclusively. It guarantees the seller that he gets his money, and it assures me more protection against ID theft because the seller never sees anything like an account number from me. But like I said, I don't do big-ticket items on eBay. If I did, I'd probably insist on an escrow service of *my* choice, not the seller's. (I'd also ask if I can come see the item in person prior to becoming high bidder.) I won't use paypal, but that's because they won't let me fix my account of years ago-when I left college, my real and snail-mail addresses both changed, and they won't let me fix it. Just a few of my personal rules when it comes to eBay. Been using eBay since 1997. I don't seem to get burned with these rules, though I have endured some great pain in shipping snafus with the postal service and with US Customs. (Hence the no postal and us-only rules.)
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