February/2006.  Collecting opalescent glass that can't be seen in person is a very tricky business but can be a satisfying hobby if you get lucky and find reputable sellers.  Some things I've learned the hard way are as follows:

Pay attention to fine details that are NOT spelled out in the advertisement.  Such as:

1. Why does the ad say "excellent condition" but doesn't offer any details.  This is a term that is very subjective and open to interpretation.  It might be a good idea to ask the seller if he/she could be a little more specific.
2. October/2007.  I've heard many times that Fenton has gone out of business and this has caused a bidding frenzy among collectors.  I don't know if it's true but in any event, I can't see Fenton just closing up shop.  I think there will always be Fenton items being made, but perhaps by whomever purchased the business.
3. If the ad says "no chips, cracks or repairs but has a few "little flea bites", "flakes" or (a fancy name for burst bubble) "an impressed bubble", consider this...if the glass is missing from where it's supposed to be, then you have a damaged piece no matter how cleverly it's worded.
4. Some problems that are very often overlooked, almost never stated in the listing or are described as "manufacturing flaws" are things like:  1. Bubbles in the glass (depending on their size, proximity and potential for bursting, are usually only acceptable in very old glass).  2. Poor distribution of color (this is where the opalescence has overtaken where color should be or the piece is light on one side and dark on the other).  3.  Exceptional pale coloring (a strong showing of color is much more desirable than a piece that looks anemic).  4.  Ash in the glass (sometimes occured in the old days when production methods were crude, should this ash fall out one day, you'll be left with a hole).  5. Heat checks (which are actually internal cracks, usually occuring in the handle, is caused by the glass cooling at the wrong temperature).  6.  Straw marks (a common name for indented, rippled or wavy lines caused by improper cooling).  7. Mold lines (occur when the pieces of a mold are wearing out, don't come together tightly and some molten glass seeps between the seams).  8.  Wobbling (a piece that will drive you crazy because it rattles on your shelf, usually occurs when the piece wasn't set on an even surface to cool).  9.  Factory ground (if the listing only states "ground edge" and not "factory ground", there's a strong chance that the edges were ground down by someone in an attempt to remove chips).  Ask questions, sometimes it's the one you DIDN'T ask that will cause you a problem.
5. A lot of glass being sold is in good condition, but is flawed in some way that would then qualify it as "a second".  It doesn't take much to make a high priced piece of glass almost worthless if the UNDISCLOSED "flaw" mars the appearance of the piece.
6. Be respectful when asking your questions, some sellers may take offence if you just say something like "have you disclosed everything about this item".  A nicer way to inquire would be to say "I hate to ask this, but are there any flaws or imperfections besides no chips, cracks, flea bites or repairs"?
7. When buying a property they say "location, location, location".  When buying glass, it's "condition, condition, condition".  Study the pictures carefully.  If you see something e.g. what appears to be a heat check in the handle of a cruet, inconsistent color from one side of a piece to another, a pic that is off balance, a pic that doesn't show pics of ALL the pieces like the stopper of a cruet.....ask yourself why.  Then write the seller about your concerns so he/she can clarify.  If they don't respond, you may have touched a nerve........don't bid.
8. I know it's expensive to purchase price guide books but you'll probably save yourself alot of money if you have them.  They not only tell you what a piece is worth, but they will also tell you if the piece you're considering is in fact what the seller is representing it as.  A true collector will do his/her homework and not rely totally on the seller's say so.
9. Try to steer clear of pieces that are being sold as "experimental".  It's true that these items are rare or one of a kind, but they are likely pieces that the factory was using to decide on a final format for the finished product.  Other words for "experimental" should be "unfinished" or "not acceptable".  If it becomes necessary for you to sell your collection, these items will not likely fetch a fair market value from the GENERAL public because they cannot be documented in any cataglogue or price guide.
10. John Walk has a book out called "Fenton Rarities" in which he does document some of the "experimental" pieces, however most of them are priced at "UND", meaning undetermined because there is little or no information available with which to compare what the general public is willing to pay.  Some collectors are eager to buy these items, but not usually the general public and this limits the number of prospective buyers available to buy your collection.
11. Fenton has several departments and one of them is a "seconds" department.  Buyers and jobbers go there to purchase pieces at a discount that are not "first quality".  Although not damaged, these pieces have flaws.  A lot of these items, along with experimental items were sold in the Fenton Gift Shop.
12. Another department at Fenton sells odds and ends.  A good example of this would be 3 piece fairy lights.  Sellers go there and they mix and match tops, bottoms and inserts.  This is called a "marriage" piece and it's a good example of when your collector price guides come in handy.  Look the pictures over carefully and compare them to the guide.  Many times I see a fairy light that looks great, but when I check the book, I see that the insert is different or some other part.  There's nothing wrong with collecting these pieces, but they may be hard for you to get rid of.  A great site for checking QVC, Fairy Lights and a whole host of other Fenton items is the Fenton Fanatics site also called Fentonfan (although, I'm not sure if they're still operating).
13. If you find an item you're considering buying on Ebay and it's not in your price guides, it could be just that it's a new piece that has just been released for sale and will not likely appear in any price guides for a long time.  However, it's always a good idea to run a search and see if there are any more of the same thing being offered for sale.  The odds against finding 3 or more of the identical piece being sold at exactly the same time are very high.  For sure you should ask the seller about the condition.  Most sellers that offer "just released" items that are NOT seconds, will usually spell it out in their ads that their item is "first quality".
14. If you're outside of the U.S. always ask for a shipping & handling quote (with or without insurance as you prefer) BEFORE you place your bid.  If this isn't done, you will be leaving yourself wide open for an overcharge and your winning bid is a binding contract that you are commited to.  If the seller doesn't respond, there's a possibility that over-charging on s/h is how they pay for the listing fees, Paypal fees and packaging.  It's not supposed to be the buyer who pays for these things, it's the seller's responsibility to pay for the cost of doing business.
15. Always take the time to check the seller/buyer feedback.  If there are negatives, READ THEM and see what the dispute was about, it will help you to understand why the negatives occured.  Some negatives against either buyers or sellers are warranted, but some are not justified.
16. If your questions go unanswered, be cautious about buying.

    

17. If you're new to Ebay, go SLOW to start.  Most new bidders are unaware of the high cost of shipping and fail to even take this into consideration at the time they are bidding.  Often, they will bid on several items from one seller, thinking they will save a whole bunch of money on shipping charges.  They don't realize that all these items, in total, will result in a lesser overall charge than PER item, but still a high shipping charge because of the volume of the box needed and the weight.
18. NEW BUYERS, generally called Newbies are a seller's dream.  These are the bidders that haven't yet realized that the only bid that counts is the LAST one.  Ebay auctions run anywhere from 3 to 10 long days (sometimes longer), so getting in a bidding war from beginning to end, will only drive the price up and up, sometimes to ridiculous heights and achieves nothing in the end except a ridiculous final bid.....be realistic and patient, set your maximum bid and hope it's not overtaken.  REMEMBER, most glass is not one-of-a-kind and another one just like it will come along before you know it.
19. And finally, you know that old saying "the best laid plans of mice and men".  This is where the tricky part comes in.

As a footnote to my review, I would like to add that, as a buyer, I find troubling at times.  That is this one-sided way that most sellers offer refunds.  What good is getting a "100%" refund on an item that was NOT AS DESCRIBED if the seller isn't liable for ANY AND ALL charges associated with the sale?  This business of the buyer, having already paid to have the item shipped, has to incurred ANOTHER shipping charge to send it back and then sit, wait and hope the seller sends the bid price back is absurd.  Why should the buyer have to go through the aggravation of rewrapping, reboxing relabelling, travelling to the post office, tracking the parcel and, in some cases, many emails to an elusive seller whom you end up having to file an Ebay complaint on to get your money back??

It's bad business for the American buyer, but even worse for the Canadian or Overseas buyer...who bids, wins, pays promptly through Paypal.  Pays s/h and insurance, gets the item after having to pay duty and a service fee, the piece isn't as described, then has to pay AGAIN to send it back?  Paypal won't assist in some cases because SOME Canadians or Overseas buyers can't get "confirmed" addresses.  The seller sends only your "bid price" back or shipping for only one way.  WHAT A LOSE, LOSE deal for the buyer....out a whole bunch of money and nothing to show for it!