There are so many ways to getting ripped off on ebay that I'll never use it I don't think. Shame aswell because its a really good way of seeling/buying stuff. Everyone in my family has been ripped off in one way or another.
i've never had a problem with any of the hundreds of items i've bought from eBay, the trick is to stick to B-I-N and sellers that have a feedback of 99.6% positive or higher.