I have read a number of guides concerning drum "seller" scams. They give good advice about mostly common sense kinds of things to look for that would raise questions concerning the legitimacy of an auction.

I would like to add some that I personally use that I know saved me from at least one big-ticket scam.  (1) If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is (playing on a shoppers desire to find a "deal").  (2) The higher the price tag, the more careful you should be. - A scammer wants to maximize his/her "profits".  (3) Insist on knowing the location of the item. - When the seller puts in "God Bless America" or something else for a location, I email a request for the item location. If I don't get a sensible reply, I don't bid.  (4)  Insist on getting a reply to questions asked. - If the seller is not responsible enough to reply to questions, s/he doesn't deserve your business. - Is it likely a seller will carry out the other aspects of the sale responsibly if they won't even answer an email? There is one particular drum seller, from whom I have bought a couple of new/like new Pearl items, that everything about his sales have been outstanding except he will not answer emails and so I have still been reluctant to buy from him because I resent the disrespect and don't trust him for this reason.  (5) Does the reply make it sound likely the seller has personal knowledge of the item. If s/he tries to blow off the importance of answering your questions or pick out which ones s/he was willing to answer, there's a problem. Even if it's just poor attention to detail on their part, you can expect the same with your purchase.  (6) Insist that correspondence be through the eBay message system so you'll have a record of it and a path for fraud investigators to follow.  If the seller wants contact outside eBay, there's probably no good reason.  (7) If you think you remember seeing the ad before, think about it. - (This is what saved me.)  A scammer auctioned a set of Tama Omnitune drums on a 1-day auction...with the same ad...6 days in a row. I later read about the scam on eBay.  (8) Follow the eBay rules (they are there for a reason...often for our protection) and AVOID those who do not. - For example, the seller who uses keyword spamming in his title may just dance around "the rules"/doing what's right concerning your purchase like fudging/lying about the condition of the item, etc.  Someone who has a need to "stick it to" eBay will probably "need" to stick it to you too.  (9) Actually look at a sellers feedback rating and details and bid accordingly.  (10) Know enough about the item you wish to purchase to recognize a scammer's mis-information.

I could go on but I'll close by adding three general pieces of advice.  (1) Follow the eBay rules and buy from others who do likewise.  (2) Know that scammers do not discriminate. They don't care whose money they take. Avoid the adolescent mentality that bad things only happen to other people because you're too special or too smart for them to happen to you.  (3) Pay attention and think...turn on your brain when doing serious shopping. Look for inconsistencies or things that don't add-up.

NOTE: I HAVE HAD SOMEONE TRY TO CONTACT ME FOR MORE ADVICE but BE AWARE the EBAY SYSTEM WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO RESPOND WHEN NO SALES TRANSACTION IS INVOLVED WITH THE CONTACT.