I have never used the Ebay site, but I have used
www.half.com an Ebay company.
I have had no problems on half.com and have always received my items on time and in good condition. I have purchased a scanner, computer speakers w/ subwoofer, and several books.
With anyting on the web, its good to read the ENTIRE USER agreement so that you know what Ebay will and will not take responsibility for. Also, read as many ratings and responses about a seller as possible. On, Half.com you can ask the seller questions, I think Ebay has the same feature. It helps to clarify what is or is not included.