While there is no shortage of detractors on this and other newsgroups
regarding EBay, I have had generally excellent "luck" with buying through
that site on about a dozen items ranging from ham radio, to model railroad
stuff, FM radio broadcast equipment, to radio controlled model airplane
equipment.

Only once have I been less than satisfied, and that was due to the seller
sending the item in a poorly packed box with newspaper as the packing
material and a few items inside the equipment case came loose and rattled
around. About 5 minutes with a screwdriver completely fixed the problem
luckily enough.

If you know what you want, and set a personal maximum for price, then
tightly slam the wallet closed when that limit is reached, I don't see the
problem with the selling prices obtained on EBay. Frankly, if I were
selling something, I'd look to get as much as the general traffic will bear.

Heaven forbid that I should meet an untimely death, but if my "prized toys"
were being sold off so my wife could pay bills, I would hope that the
executor of my estate would be out to maximize the cash return for her to
the greatest extent possible.

If you get caught up in some kind of uncontrollable bidding frenzy because
of the "fun" you're having, or don't have a clue as to the proper value of
an item, then you have other problems on the go. The very existance of EBay
isn't the cause of it.

Lee