I have recently been bidding on the Blackberry Curve 8330 smart phone.  I have noticed that I received at least four notices within the last two weeks alerting me that Blackberry Curve phones I bid on were taken off of Ebay; and Ebay cautioned prospective  bidders not to pay for these items outside of Ebay.  Also, Ebay directed bid winners, who had paid for the items prior to the alerts, to contact paypal, or their bank or credit card company to stop payment.  Fortunately for me, the phone I bid  on and won was cancelled before I made payment.

What I noticed with most if not all of the  listings that were  pulled from Ebay, was that the sellers had little or no buying or selling feedback on Ebay.   Also, they did not have any other items listed after the listings closed and winning bids posted.  Thus, I have decided to stay clear of sellers with zero or very little selling history selling these and other highly sought  items.  I know we all have to start from zero when selling or buying on Ebay.  However, it does not appear that Ebay can regulate or gleen through the sellers that are truely selling these particular items.  It leaves buyers somewhat vulneable, don't you think?  But that's the good thing about the feedback system.

Another thing I do is check at local retail stores for current prices on items that I see on Ebay and other internet auction sites.   Most of the time, I find that the prices in retail stores are considerably higher.  You can find great deals on Ebay and other auction sites.  However, when online sellers offer new, highly sought after items at extremely lower prices (in some cases 2-3 hundred dollars less), my "suspicious"red flag goes up. 

I am a vendor of safety and sports equipment.  I do expos and other events.  I buy low and sell higher, keeping the difference as  profit.  I can tell you that while profit margins vary, all have limits.

So, just beware of some of the buying and selling trends on Ebay and other auction sites.  I think that Ebay does a great job of trying to monitor and screen faudulent sellers and buyers.  The staff has always been a great help to me when questions or problems arise.  Nevertheless, they can't to it all.  So just beware.  If a price on an item appears to good to be true.  It probably isn't.  Do your research on prices by checking online and in retail stores.  And read the listing carefully, especially the fine print.  I have had great success using this guide.  Good luck.  God Bless.