I've been collecting arcade video games and pinball machines for the past few years as a hobby.  I've noticed that sometimes the exact same photos of a machine, and often the description text as well, are duplicated on listings by different sellers, supposedly residing in different locations that are too far away from each other to offer the exact same machine.  Nobody in their right mind would bid on a machine whose listing has the same pictures as another.  Any buyer wants to see pictures of the specific machine that they are buying, not some other one.  Often times, I've seen pricing that practically screams "scam!".  For example, there have been several ads for "Elvira & the Party Monsters" pinball machines that really look questionable.  This peticular machine typically sells for between $1600 and $2500 in very good condition.  When you see it listed for $4500 or even more and when there's just one small poor photo and when it is exactly the same as the photo from other listings and you've seen it on several listings over the past year, well, figure it out eh.  Another tip-off is when the description is a ton of large text that explains how the game plays, possibly copied directly from klov.com or ipdb.org, and the text that you really want, the text that describes the physical condition of the machine you're bidding on, is a tiny 1-liner way down at the bottom.  I have tried sending messages to several of the sellers that I suspected of scamming and none of them ever responded.  A legitimate seller always responds quickly and can provide new pictures and other specific information that will prove that he actually has the machine and will sell it to you.  If he doesn't, forget about him and his item. The bottom line is that when spending such a large amount of money on an item, it is worth it to get some kind of proof, even if you have to drive a few hours to actually go see it in person.