This is a general eBay guide mainly for newer users.  I am writing this in hopes that it will save users time and money when possible.  The best way, that I can think of, to explain this to go through a hypothetical situation where I will buy a product.  In this "demonstration" I will outline the tips and stratagies to make sure you get the most for your money and at the best price.  The first hint is to do yourself a favor and set up the "My Ebay" page for yourself.  It makes eBay life much easier and convenient!

Now, say I want to buy a digital camera.  The first step will be to find out what camera meets your needs and provides you with a good quality via search engines.  There are many features to a camera (remember, this can be for any product you may want, the camera is only an example) that I may want to investigate. I will use a search engine for this part-  perhaps Google, or yahoo, or ask.   I will search something like "Great digital camera and review".  This will not only give me highly reguarded cameras, but will also provide me with reviews to make my own judgment on.  Reading through reviews is perhaps the best way to judge your need for a product.  "Real-world" people with their experiences.  Sometimes you may find that a technicaly advanced camera is not the best buy due to usual breakage or machanical problems in the first 6 months or so.  So read through the reviews and technical details of many cameras in your scope.  Keep in mind to stay in your price range as well.  Note the MSRP of these as well but make sure the MSRP is coming from an updated source or artical.

Now I will take the info I have gathered and my selected (or maby a few selected) camera/s that I want to start officially shopping for to eBay.  I have the MSRP of the camera I want, and use that as the standard for the "deal" price.  For me, I like to pay less than 85% of the MSRP.  Then again, there may be bundled accessories, batteries, memory, etc. that will make the ecceptable price a lot more flexible.  (I will use google to add up bundled accessoreis value as well).  Type in the model number or numbers of the camera that you want into the seach bar.  This will provide you with exactly that- only your item or things to do with your item directly.  Now you can start comparing prices from the various buyers.  You may want to check first for "buy it now" auctions.  This might be a good way to snag a great deal without the wait.  However, if you feel that an auction will be worth the wait it's always a fun way to go.  If you are not lucky and no matches appear, start back at the begining and find another camera to look for- or wait a few days/weeks.  eBay is definately always an awsome source for your products, and they may appear sooner than you think.

It's important to check for a few things once your ready to bid or buy- make sure you do...Don't get tricked!

1. What is the seller's feedback rating
2. Read through his feedback and make sure people are happy with either their product, OR their reimbursment.
3. Check for items being listed as AS IS.  You may want to just find a different auction as this is often meaning it's innoperable. 
4. Check the sellers return policy
5. check the shipping costs
6. check the insurence cost and whether or not it is required (this can be a devious way of tacking on profit for some listers).
7. Don't be afraid to ask the seller questions as their answers can be documented for your asurence.

When you have reached a level of confidence in the seller, THEN you will want to proceed and bid.  Remember, the longer you wait to start building the bids, the better chance for a great deal.  I use the "Watch this item in my ebay" links.  This gives me a homepage to see all my important info like items I am looking to buy, items I am selling etc.  Watch yourslef not to get too caught up in the moment and go higher than what you want to pay.  If you miss out, don't worry- there WILL be another listing again.  (this is not a guarentee, but defintely a VERY LIKELY happening).  Once you win the item, pay for it and remember, you may have different choices for shipping at checkout.  Make sure you choose the one that pretains to your expectations of price.  I seriously reccommend using paypal, after all... WHY NOT?  Paypal is secure and very nice with it's moneyback polocy and you can't beat the interest you get.  It also keeps the buyer AND seller safe and comfy in a transaction.  However, if you must us M.O. or something of that nature, make sure you put the auction number in the memo section *don't use Western Union or any other hard to trace or untracable means of payment.  On that note- read through eBay's warnings and help articals before getting into eBay.  They have done a GREAT job explaining and caring for your safety- but you have to do your part as well.

There you have it.  A brief walkthrough of the investigating, deciding, searching and biding/buying of any product you have been wanting while being safe.  Remember, you must do your part to stay safe and secure- but once you learn how to do that, you can't beat eBay!