Before buying a wet suit or a dry suit on Ebay there are a few things you should consider. First thing would be the age of the suit. Neoprene will "rot" if left on the shelf for too long and will either crack or not perform like it should. On dry suits, valves and zippers can go bad and can be very expensive to replace. Avoid brands like AMF Voit, swimmaster, healthaways, or any other brand that you don't recognize. Odds are that these are too old to be used anymore. If you have any questions about a particular wetsuit or drysuit brand you should always ask someone at your local dive shop prior to bidding. Another sign of an old suit is how they rate the thinkness. Most every brand out there now measures thickness in millimeters. 7mm is pretty common for cold water where a 2/3 or 3/5 (these are dual thickness suits measured in mm) would be more common for warm water. If the suit is rated in inches (eg. 1/4 inch, 1/8 inch) odds are it has already lead a long life and is probably ready to be used for patch material. Drysuits like the Posiden Unisuit have also gone the way of the dinosaur. You will have a tough time getting your hands on a zipper for one of these since the zipper's were so long. Sizing is another issue. If it is a brand that you are familiar with and have tried on or used before there may not be much of an issue but if you are going to a new brand, style, or construction of suit you should be a little more cautious before you buy. Ask the seller about their height, weight, waist and shoulder measurements and compare them to your own. It is no fun to order up a new suit only to get it to your house only to find it won't fit! Finally take the suit in to your local dive shop and have it checked out prior to your first dive! Your suit is probably the most important piece of gear in regards to comfort and a good suit will last you years if it fits well and is comfortable. Exercise caution and be smart when bidding on these types of items, spending hard earned money on something you can't use can turn you off of diving! See you underwater, be safe and happy diving! Howard Cunningham PADI OWSI #193865