I am relatively new to ebay, but I research before I buy.  I am currently interested in all the "rare" examples of the Tang dynesty pottery horses....and this is what I have come up with.  No matter what you are bidding on in ANY of the auctions if you bid with an eye on these guidelines, you will at least be informed as to what you are purchasing.

1.  DO check the buyers ratings.  Not only read the info that each report, but look at the buyer's names.  If there are too many of the same buyer, click on that buyer's name and see what their rating is and who wrote it.  You would be surprised at how many of these "A+" ratings are by the same buyer, on one site he left 35 in a row.  When I clicked on his name, his positive ratings were by the same sellers that are known to sell fakes as well as leave 8-10 positives apiece...this of course bumps up their buying rating....smooth trick unless you know what to look for.  One seller states that they are a museum dealer, but if you look at his buyers, they are other sellers bumping up each other's ratings.  It goes round and round, so that they all have 200-300 positive ratings by the same buyer!  LMAO

2.  Go to the bid site and see who is bidding on these auctions....just because it says 4 bidders, doesn't mean that anyone other than the seller's shill has bid.  When the starting bid is for $10.00 and the first bid goes to $250 and then $500 you know a shill is bidding.  Who in their right mind would start out at $250 if they don't need to?  Granted I would pay more than that for a real original, but they sell for $15,000 or more.

3.  Know where the item is coming from and how much they are charging it to send.  If you get the item for a dollar and it costs you $158. to send, then figure do you want to spend $160. for the item whether it is real or not? 

I found one piece that I looked through every auction piece before I bid.  I know it wasn't real and the shipping was high, but I liked the piece enough to purchase it anyway.  I won't get into a bidding war.  I figure it's a fake, and bid what I will pay.  That's it.  I received the item in the mail, and it was beautifully packaged, covered in dirt, most likely a fake, and unbroken.  For what I paid for it, I am happy.  I can't find anything to beat it over here in the states.  Just be aware.  It becomes a game to see if you can spot the mistakes...and believe me, there are a lot out there....