Ebay = Caveat Emptor, as in all buying - I have bought loads of stuff for A series from it, mainly obscure stuff where no-one else has bid and got them for a song - ACAD bonnet for 2CV £25, boot lid Dyane £40 4 doors and a boot lid 2CV £80 etc - if used as a shop window for genuine stuff it is brilliant. I have also bought loads of PA stuff for my band and a few top notch Basses from Ebay and have yet to be disappointed - just do your homework first - check the feedback as a seller, study the pics carefully and make sure they match the item and finally know what you are buying!

Good advice. Ebay is great for indulging my own particular fondness for cheapie 1960s Japanese plywood guitars. I've got ten or eleven downstairs, all of which are regularly gigged and none of which cost me more than eighty quid.

Ebay - love it or loath it, you gotta grudgingly accept it serves a major purpose. It's a shame it doesn't have a proper competitor, tho' - that would keep their outrageous charges down.

It ain't necessarily 'caveat emptor' either; they do have pretty good protection built-in. On the two occasions I have been sold items which weren't as described, both times eBay/PayPal sorted it out to my satisfaction (with the last incident, only sorted a few days ago, I ended up with the incorrect 2GB card (deliberately sent instead of 8GB) and a full refund. That'll teach the b'st'rd.)

I mentioned on the 'Technical' forum - the thread about the 'prang' - how worthwhile it is having 'legal protection' on your car policy. Well, this could be an even more useful addition on your household insurance as this usually includes 'contractual' disputes. Bear in mind two things: (1) a winning bid in an auction is legally binding, but most people think it too hard to enforce, and (2) the item description must be accurate. Again, many people will allow themselves to be 'had'. With legal protection behind you, all you need to do is call them up and, if that threat doesn't encourage the 3rd party to come clean, fill out a form and sit back. Provided that the case is 'genuine' - ie: you have a good chance of winning - then they'll take it on and will almost certainly win for you.

A couple of years ago I bought a Mazda Bonga on behalf of my niece. On the return journey it was clear all was not well, and the advertised description had a number of glowing exaggerations/untruths in it. My niece had paid by cheque, so no claim on PayPal or credit cards. I checked my household insurance and found I was covered for 'contractual disputes such as car purchases'... Woohooo. I got as far as filling out the claim form and having a solicitor allocated to the case when the seller capitulated. Cost me nothing but a bit of time.

Ok, last suggestion! Instead of including 'Legal Prot' with both your car and house insurances - at a rough cost of around £25 each - instead take out a single policy with AutoLaw http://www.autosure.eu/index.php?option ... Itemid=439 which is £19.99 for pretty much everything cover for one person, or £24.99 for the whole family. They were recommended in Honest John's newspaper column and that's the way I'm going with this year's renewals. Mind you, I haven't had to 'try' them out yet...

good idea with the legal cover (personal) i have legal protectin on my car, cost me about £15 round about if i remeber correctly..

Just don't do it on the gas hob in the kitchen, if you are prone to dropping things, and have a lino floor. Guess how I know?