Between my wife and myself, we have over 2000 transactions. I have bought postcards, fountain pens, books, railroad lanterns, cap badges, all kinds of railroad ephemera, locos, and kits. I've sold off extra parts and will be listing a Mantua GP-18 for sale cheap soon. My wife buys yarn, dolls, doll clothes, plants for the garden, tea pots, china, clothes for the grandkids, and stuff like that. We've received smashed items rediculously packaged, we've had our money taken a couple of times with no items shipped and the seller gone forever, one seller that shipped the item and then claimed we didn't pay, and a few more interesting experiences.

On the buying side, I cut people some slack and not breath down their necks. But after 3 weeks, I ask where my stuff is. We have a buyer & seller PayPal account and prefer to pay that way. Instant payment, no waiting, AND no questions about whether or not we've paid for an item, either. If sellers whine about the fees and can't do the math to add the cost of the fees into their pricing, we just pass them up as being nickel-and-dime sellers. We buy from reputable dealers and manufacturers, too. There are a couple of HO scale manufacturers that sell directly on eBay including Tichy Train Group. We have enough experience to check feedback, ask questions, get additional photos, check for user name changes, etc. We also check the shipping costs, too. One trend right now is to list an item at a lower cost as the bait, but charge a high rate for shipping and handling. :curse: Just like anything else, you have to ask questions and know what you're buying, especially if you start getting into collectible items. There are fakes that get listed, especially in the railroad china category, and digital reproductions that can be mistaken for a developed photograph. There's enough experienced people here to help other eBayers from The Guage if they have questions about an item. Always glad to help.
Russ
(eBay user name fastmail98)