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It bothers me too, though to be fair I get the impression most of them are sold by relatives (either on eBay or to vendors who put them on eBay) who don't really have an understanding of the significance of a fraternal badge.
I keep watch for badges from my own chapter. Not only can they be donated to General Fraternity where they will be accorded proper reverence, but they can also make good auction items for alumni events (I must give credit to Lambda Chi Alpha Tom Earp from this forum for this great idea) or donated to chapters for display.
With a little research, you can write up a bio on the original owner and frame it along with the badge as an important piece of chapter history.
As for the eBay sales group- it really depends on who is selling. Betas don't really sell their own badges so you would be reaching out to third parties. And as someone who has been on eBay for 10 years now, I have to say that contacting 3rd parties is, as you have learned, almost never a good idea. No matter how good your intentions, a stranger will assume you want to either get the item cheaper than a live auction might produce or that you are trying to scam them in some way.
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