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One of the very first things the Army taught me is this: "No one, but no one, will ever take better care of you than you yourself." It's a valuable lesson, and one that has saved me innumerable times over the years. It is the basis of my success on eBay, for I have never been cheated, nor have I ever lost money in my transactions. I have had very enjoyable experiences in all my transactions, and I have acquired things inexpensively from the convenience of my own home that I might otherwise simply never have been able to otherwise afford.

My protection is a letter, or more accurately, an email that I send to any seller of an item that I have an interest in; in it are 8 simple, clear questions that every buyer of photographic equipment owes it to themselves to know before they part with their money. I reproduce the letter below: read the questions and let's think about the powerful protection it affords you.
"Dear Sir or Madam,

I have a serious interest in placing a bid for the camera you currently have on auction on eBay. As I am looking for a camera in as flawless a cosmetic and functional condition as I can find, I wonder if you would take a moment to answer the following questions for me:

1. Is the photograph in your listing a photo of the actual camera being sold, or is it a photo of a camera like the one being sold?

2. Are there any dents, dings, scuffs, scratches, mars, brassing or discolourations anywhere on the camera?

3. Are there any scuffs, crack, scratches, mars or discolourations anywhere on or in the lens or viewfinder or rangefinder glass?

4. Is there any trace of corrosion in the battery chamber, and are the contacts intact and clean?

5. Do all the shutter speeds work?

6. Do all the lens openings work?

7. Does the exposure meter work?

8. If the camera does not work or is not as described, do you offer a full refund of the purchase price of the item?

Many thanks in advance for your attention to my questions, and good luck with your sale.

Sincerely,

8 simple questions.

Young's First Law of eBay is this: "You can never lose money if you don't place a bid".

I don't wait until the last day to email the seller with my questions - it doesn't give them a fair chance to respond. I email them immediately when I see the item. However, I refuse to place a bid if the seller does not respond to my questions. Why? Because, sadly, a non-response indicates one of two things to me: Either they have something to hide about the item being offered, in which case a bid is simply too risky; or, they don't have enough interest in my questions to be bothered answering. This is a strong indicator to me that they will not have any interest in me after the sale, when they have my money, and if and when I then discover there is a problem with the camera.