A MUST READ! Don't be tricked by traps! Of all the items available on Ebay, electronics and powered communication devices are among the most fallible of all. Finding a trustworthy seller and satisfactory item of this type can be very tricky, time consuming and trying. Bad experiences are extremely common due to the complicated and delicate nature of electronics and their tendency to go bad. Electronics dealing is difficult for a seller because it involves spotting and diagnosing potential problems prior to auctioning.

Big companies, liquidators, and shops that sell in multitudes may seem appealing because of the high number of feedback available. However, be skeptical of these sellers. The more items they sell (larger number of feedback) the less likely they are to test their electrical items thoroughly before listing them. Because of the high number of items and auctions they must handle, many big-sellers neglect to check whether the item will even power on, much less test every function of that item before they list it.  

Suppose a seller has 5000 feedbacks, and positive feedback is 97.2% - That means that there are ALOT of individuals who still left a negative. Take the time to read the feedback of any electronics seller. Look for similiar or identical items sold to others by that seller and refer to the feedback left for that item. reuseacell is a perfect example of a seller I strongly advise against. They specialize in used cell phone sells by the multitudes, thus have a high number of feedbacks. A large number of these are negative and full of complaints against the seller. Even many of their positive feedbacks come from too-forgiving buyers who recieved a broken item. Bigger sellers like reuseacell do not test their items prior to listing them because the number of items they must handle. Also it can be near impossible to contact the them or to receive a response in direct relation to your particuliar problem -once again- because they are too busy to offer customer service. May the buyer beware with companies like these! 

In the case of this seller I've mentioned, their feedback reflects their bad reputation once you read through it (frequent complaints of broken items and complaints of refunds not received or incomplete refunds, bad commnication with their buyers etc...). Also noted is sellers like reuseacell wait until after their buyers have left  them feedback before they will leave feedback for you. This is a defensive move by the seller. The reason why sellers do this is because they know a negative feedback is probably merited, so they wait until it's received before they will retaliate with their own negative feedback for the buyer (even if the buyer deserves a positive). It's because of this that you should not only check a sellers feedback comments, but also the feedback they have left for their buyers - Check the dates of the feedbacks to reveal if the seller is a trap-setter who responds vengefully to defend himself.

Before bidding, also look for similiar items to the one you wish to bid on that have been sold in the sellers feedback history. For example, if you are interested in bidding on a Motorola flip cell phone, check the item numbers on the right hand side of the feedback column til you find a similiar item. The feedback left by the buyer of that item will be help you decide whether to bid or not. When reviewing a sellers feedback, take into account that friendly buyers will often leave a seller positive feedback even after the headache of receiving a broken or misdescribed item. Read feedback comments to decide for yourself if you'd be happy  to deal with whatever situation that the other buyer dealt with as well.                                     

Do not buy an electronic item from a mass-seller unless they specifically state that the item has been throroughly tested, functions fully and is guaranteed to be in good working conditon.

Another disadvantage of buying an electronic item from a mass-seller is that the item often lacks completeness. There are wires, cables, cords, connectors, remotes, manuals etc that may not be included. They should state this in the description, however it is imperative that you ASK the seller what items are included in the auction and not included BEFORE you bid. Some descriptions are designed to trick you, still others lack these details because of time factors. Tip: Private party sellers are more likely to include accessory items.

Another question to ask yourself before bidding on an item that is being sold by a legitimate walk-in store or wholeseller is "Why are they selling this item so cheaply on Ebay rather than asking a higher price by selling it to a customer in their shop?" Could it be that there is something faulty or unappealing about the item that makes it unsellable in their shop? Sadly, such is the case many times.

Buying from a private individual or small business owner has both positive and negative atrributes.

The Pro's:

-Better communication: They are more likely to respond to emails and questions in a timely and thorough manner because they have more time to offer you and to devote to inspecting the item.

-Better quality assurance: They have more time to inspect and test the item before selling it.

-Personal product knowledge: Often, they will be able to tell you the history of an item such as where and when it was bought, who owned it, how it was treated, their experience with the item (if used), and repairs that may have been made etc...

-Easy conflict resolution: No company "policies" or "limitations" to debate, and less likely to have to go through step-by-step hoops to resolve an issue should you be dissatisfied with the item. Individuals are often more mindful about the quality of the feedback they receive because 1 negative feedback can mean a big impact on their reputation because their numbers are so small. Positive feedback is important to those with fewer feedback responses, so they will often try a bit more to resolve the issue. Less hoops - less hassle is a big perk because unlike a bigger seller, they probably wont make you collect documentation of a malfunction, assign you a case number, make you print out and sign forms, demand you return it in original packaging within 3 days of receipt, make you pay for return tracking and confirmation, make you wait 7 business days to process those forms, before having  a 'manager' review those forms before passing it to the 'financial department' til the issue is resolved. (such was the case with the aforementioned seller reuseacell - horrible experience!)

-Seller "Intimacy": You get the personal touch. Usually during the entire transaction, you deal with only one or two real persons.This brings a level of humanity to the business transaction and allows you to communicate you concerns and questions on a more personal basis. In turn, you  receive more involved answers and personalized resolutions than you would with larger sellers.

The Con's:

-You are often relying solely on one person (the owner/seller) for the item description, item inspection, item testing, item shipping, correspondence, and dispute resolution. As is the problem with dealing with any owner who is selling their own product: they are prone to exaggeration and inconsistancies. The also take the transaction, and all its details (including their opinions and objections about you even) personally rather that non-objectively like a larger company with many employee's might do. Most private individuals and small companies I have dealt with on Ebay have been fair, honest, and direct but nonetheless they tend to take all the details to heart and deal with a matter the same way any individual would. This isn't always a good thing.

-Less Experience: You cannot be certain of a sellers selling reputation simply by glancing over their feedback ratings and comments. Those comments may have been left by other sellers rather than buyers. To know a sellers selling reputation, go to their feedback page and click on "Left by Buyers". Individuals and small companies are likely to have much lower numbers of feedback responses than larger sellers, hence less experience describing items, interacting with buyers,  shipping properly and routinely, and knowing how to manage complaints and disputes from buyers. This also means that there is less buyer feedback for you to review before bidding.

-Quicker to start disputes: Because of more time availablity , fewer auctions to manage, eageress to earn quick profit and that same "personal touch" I just spoke about, individuals and small companies are much quicker to file "non-paying bidder" complaints and such than larger businesses. I have had experience with private sellers who "jump the gun" and file NPB on the morning of the 4th day despite mentioning a 5-day pay period in their description of the item! You can avoid this pitfall by maintaining good communication with your seller. Because they are also "real-people" they are more likely to understand "real-life" situations that may prevent you from paying in a timely manner. Often an email is all that is needed to cease a sellers anxiety about not getting paid.

- Less technical know-how. Whereas a few larger companies have trained technical specialists to test their items prior to listing, smaller companies and individuals are less likely to be able to offer this service. If the item is tested, the diagnostics are limited by the sellers own experience and ability. So unless the seller of your new Motorola flip-phone player also happens to be Motorola technician, you cannot be sure that the item has been thoroughly checked for issues. 

It has been my experience that the BEST sellers to deal with when purchasing an electronic item is an individual, the manufactuer itself (not often available) or a small  home-based business that has a STRONG positive feedback. (99.5% or better when under 150 feedbacks,  99.2% or better when 150-300 feedbacks,  98.9% or better when 300-450 feedbacks,  98.6% or better when 450-600 feedbacks,  98.3% or better when 600-750 feedbacks,  98% or better when 750-900 feedbacks)

Although in the above table,  the recommended precentage is dropping with the rising number of feedbacks left, they do not drop indefinitely. A seller with many feedbacks and a low percentage score is a very bad sign! This means that they are selling alot of items, and alot of those items are junk! For sellers with fewer than 25 feedbacks it is important to collect information on what type of feedback they've recieved (as a buyer or seller), what type of item was involved, and whatever other information can be collected by reading the other parties comments and any responses to those comments.

When buying trouble-prone electronic items I do not recommend dealing with any seller with less than 97% positive feedback. Never buy from a seller that has recently sold a similiar item that was broken, the hassle you risk is not worth saving a few bucks!

 In fact, those with negative feedback left for a similiar or identical item could be trying to resell you the very same item after it had been returned to them! Sadly, this is common on Ebay. Dishonest sellers can profit from this practice by: not refunding a buyers shipping cost, hoping you're a buyer that doesn't pursue a refund, by receiving the item you return then either collecting on insurance, a manufacturers warranty, or by filing a "non-paying bidder" after its received so that they can also collect their listing fee's for the auction as well (a practice also used by the seller: reuseacell) BEWARE!

Under NO circumstance would I recommend dealing with any seller of ANY item with less than 95% positive feedback. Observe whether the score was achieved from sellers feedbacks or from buyers feedbacks. Because a slacker-buyer doesn't indicate a dishonest seller. However the 2 factors are interrelated.

I personally would not buy from a member who had fewer than 10 transactions on record. Most certainly not if even 1 of those feedbacks was a negative left by a buyer complaining or an item not being received or the item being broken.

When you receive an electronic item of any kind, open the package, do not dispose of it or its protective filling. Assemble if neccessary and power-on the item as soon a possible. Test all functions of the item and its accessories. Make sure that it is physically and functionally as described/pictured in the listing. If you are unfamiliar with how to assemble or operate the item consult with a shop or someone more technologically inclined than yourself and have them test the item for you. It's very important that you do all this as soon as possible because many sellers (particularly big-sellers and ones that are shady) will demand a very short time period in which they may offer a "no-hassle money-back guarantee".

You want to report any problems as quickly as possible so that if neccessary you have time to file complaints against the seller with Ebay/Paypal. Tip: despite what limitations on guarantee/warranty the seller may say they offer, Paypal offers buyer protection and dispute resolution services for up to 60 days after your purchase. Some sellers will try to take advantage of the fact that some buyers aren't aware of this or are 'reluctant' to use this path. Don't be reluctant to use this method! If you want to be "friendly", just let your seller know that you mean business if you have a complaint about an item, tell them you are prepared to file a formal complaint but you are offering them one opportunity to resolve the matter without going that route.

Tip: If the seller of the faulty item has already left you a positive feedback, that is a good sign. If they have not left feedback, and as the resolution process continues or ends & they still haven't left feedback - take this as a very bad sign! They are almost certainly forming the "feedback trap" I mentioned before.