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Many good points made in the various replies. I've been E-Baying for nearly 5 years and have never yet been ripped off. I recommend it to anyone for finding unique and/or out-or-production stuff, and above all for finally unloading all that stuff you know you're never going to use. But I ascribe my own E-Bay success, not to mere good fortune, nor to the (erroneous) notion that nearly all E-Bayers are "good people". As several of the posts suggest, READ THE FEEDBACK before bidding. Its true that regular E-Bayers are reluctant to leave negatives for fear of retaliation, so my initial reaction to sellers with negative feedback is to tread with extreme caution. On the other hand, I've purchased successfully from several people with some negative feedback. Its like the Better Business Bureau: if you conduct hundreds of transactions, human nature combined with the laws of statistics says that there are a few people who just cannot be satisfied. Read the negatives, ask yourself if they appear justified, look at how recent they are, compare with the positives. Overall, I have had better experiences with E-Bayers than with many mainstream mail-order firms. I would also stress the use of "ask seller a question". When I have sold stuff, I have always been surprised not to receive any questions. When I am bidding or thinking of bidding, I nearly always send a question. Mostly because I want to be sure of what I am bidding on, but also because the response in itself is usually great feedback on the quality of the seller. I want to concur with several other posters about the absurdity of some pricing. I win a relatively small percentage of the auctions I participate in. As a buyer I believe that an auction, with its inherent risks, should always represent a bargain compared with alternate channels and my maximum bids reflect this belief. Although it is unarguably true that any item is worth what someone is willing to pay, a number of bidders appear to be ignorant of pricing and availability. I periodically see currently-available HO items bid up above their full-list retail price; it is common to see items bid up above the discounted price from one of the big mail-order firms. I don't see businesses "dominating" E-Bay HO. RIght now, there are over 23,000 HO items for auction. I randomly selected Fleischmann (143 items) and randomly opened 14 items (10%). None were for sale by businesses. Although this is perhaps a little low, and its true that some of the businesses have a disproportionate share of sales, its a fact that the overwhelming majority of HO items are still being offered by individuals.
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