Well, Ebay is DEFINITELY a "buyer beware" environment! I've bought a fair number of items off of it, and generally been happy with the transactions, but every once in a while will have one go sour. Although I bought my C5Z off of Ebay, I seriously doubt I would do that again. Once the auction is running, you (as the buyer) are pretty much under the gun to make a commitment on the purchase. Basically you mostly HAVE decide on buying the car sight unseen and win the auction, hoping for the best. Once you win the auction, you are generally required to put down a deposit which is likely nonrefundable. So if you then personally inspect the vehicle and find some major flaws that were "accidentally" absent from the auction's description, you are just out that deposit if you decline to complete the purchase.
Otherwise, while the auction is running you have to decide about making a trip to personally view the vehicle before committing to participating in the bidding. So you are pretty much limited to auctions where the car is within driving distance to you. Now if the car has a "buy it now" option, there is nothing stopping someone from winning that auction out from under you while you are in transit to view the vehicle. It can definitely happen.
Basically, Ebay is a seller's dream world. And can possibly be a buyer's nightmare if you aren't careful (or at least lucky).
As for other products, heck, make sure you shop around. It is not at all unusual for find things being auctioned at a much higher price than you can find elsewhere. Matter of fact, I would say this is VERY common. Don't just assume that because it is an auction, you HAVE to be getting a good deal.
And btw, PayPal will not always protect you. If there is a dispute with the merchandise, all the seller has to do is to provide a verifiable tracking number to prove the item was sent to you, and they win the dispute. Another common problem is that a scammer will set up a Paypal account, grab the money, then drain that account and be gone overnight. So if you have any doubts at all about the seller, use a credit card if at all possible. Disputing a charge with the credit card company may wind up being the ONLY way you can recover your funds if you wind up getting scammed.
__________________
|