Buying sneakers on ebay can be tricky these days. With the rising number of variants and B-grades being placed on ebay it is difficult to know that the pair of Dunks or Jordans you are bidding on are authentic. Here are a few tips from a collector that can help beginning collectors avoid getting burned on their next sneaker purchase on ebay.

1. Familiarize yourself with your desired shoes: Knowing the release date, quantity, and exclusivity of your desired pair of kicks can help you determine if the price is right. For instance the Nike Dunk SB High "Lucky" edition were limited to 777 pairs for public sale. So if you see somebody selling them on ebay for $100 Buy It Now or Best Offer, it's probably a pair of variants (fakes). Also by knowing the year that the shoes were released can really help if you are buying Nike SBs. SBs released this year (2006) come in a black box with the Nike logo in purple, 2005 were in the pink and black box, 2004 were in the silver box, and first series were in the typical Nike box (brown and orange). So that pair of White/Cement "Supreme" Dunk SB Lows in a pink box are probably not worth investing in.

2. Research your potential sellers and the people who've purchased from them: If you have any questions about the person selling the shoes you are considering, check their other items for sale. If the seller has multiple pairs of the shoe and it's as rare as Dunk "Heinekins" or Jordan DMPs I'd be hesitate to purchase. Also feel free to look at what past customers of the seller have purchased. If a buyer has shelled out some serious cash for legit sneakers from other sellers and bought from the one you are thinking of buying from, you can feel a bit more at ease that he/she is selling authentic shoes.

3. Join groups for sneaker collectors: MySpace has several groups for sneakerheads, and the people in the groups can be helpful in identifying fake shoes. These groups are great because there are a variety of collectors who collect different sneaks; you can find people to help you with spotting fake Bapes, Dunks, Jordans, AF 1s, and other collectable shoes. Just copy the link to the shoes in question and paste it to your bulletin and you are bound to get a few opinions.

4. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is: Nobody who owns a pair of Dunk "Paris" or player exclusive Jordan  VIIs would be willng to sell them for a rediculously low amount like $250. Check the going market prices for sneakers at websites like napsize.com, pickyourshoes.com or kix-files.com if you aren't sure about what the average rate people are charging for authentic shoes.

These are just a few pointers from one sneakerhead to help beginning collectors avoid buying fake shoes. I hope this information is of some value or relevance to those in need because I've seen plenty of variants on ebay as the sneaker culture spreads and grows. Using the helpful tips I've listed can help you from buying a pair or two of them.