Never bought from Ebay before; Need help/advice...

I am looking to buy an OBD II & I scan tool:

From manufacturer's website:
http://www.iequus.com/product_info.php?product_id=3140&category_id=1_10_7
Full retail price = $399

Normally, I would consider purchasing from:
http://www.autobarn.net/equus-3140-scanner.html
Price = $250 + Free Shipping

Or, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000R3SNJU/?tag=cpf0b6-20
Price = $248 + $15 shipping (they indicate the List Price is $477.51 Why?)


Then there is Ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/EQUU...ryZ43989QQihZ010QQitemZ200198764603QQtcZphoto
Buy It Now Price = $200 + $15 shipping, OR
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Equu...007QQitemZ170193607017QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
Buy It Now Price = $215 + Free Shipping

So, $250-260 from the kind of places I would normally buy from, or $215 from Ebay. Both Ebay dealers have a decent number of transactions, with near perfect feedback. Both list the scan tools as being 'New'. Do I have anything to worry about concerning buying from Ebay or these dealers specifically. I don't want to purchase a previously returned item. Anyone with lots of Ebay experience have any advice?

Edit: I just noted that Amazon list the model as 3140, both Ebay dealers list the model as IV3140. I have no idea if the difference means anything though. They both include the same tester (3140) and the same cables and accessories, as far as I can tell.

The seller has a great feedback score. The item does not say re-built. I don't know anything about the product but the seller looks good. I hope this helps. I'm a long time Ebay-er. P.S. I sometimes find Amazon a better deal. Depends on the item.

My advice is do not take the seller's word for it on any item. If you have a question, email them and ask them specific questions about whatever it is that you want to know. Always check new prices first and always check the shipping amount. Some seller's seem to feel justified in charging say $30-40 to ship something that could be shipped for $5.95-8.95. I'll share a recent Ebay experience I had. I ordered 3 pipe wrenches from a seller for $28+ $8.95 shipping. The seller said they were Trimo brand. I was looking specifically for Rigid or Trimo wrenches. When they arrived 1 wrench was a Trimo, 1 was a Craftsman, and 1 was a Thorsen wrench. I gave them a negative feedback based on a wrong item description. I sent them an email letting them know that I wasn't happy with the purchase. They called me and let me know they made a mistake and wanted to fix it. This is the type of seller you want to find and I will change my feedback based on their honesty. I personally have had almost all good transactions on Ebay but you have to use some common sense and communication is king.
Good luck.

Well, I used the 'Ask seller a question' link to both of the Ebay dealers and waited for answers. Neither responded before close of business. I went back to check later & found that both had pulled the sales early

So, I found another online retailer, ToolTopia.com that had it for $15 more than the Ebay dealers. Purchased it there.

I guess my non-Ebay usage status continues.

Thanks for the help anyway, guys.
davidd

Sometimes they don't answer in time before the auction closes, not much you can do about it though. They may be busy or whatever. I seldom have had one ignore me but they might not answer that day. Usually if you can wait another similar item shows up in a few days.

I recommend that you use this tool to check out the negative feedback of the seller. It allows you to weed out the positive feedbacks, so you only see the negative ones.

http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs

Check google products for price comparison, make sure you are getting a good deal

http://www.google.com/products?q=EQUUS+INNOVA+3140&btnG=Search+Products&scoring=p

Check to see if someone in your area is offering one, save on shipping

http://www.mapbid.com/

Sometimes someone screws up and words it wrong you could make a good deal on ebay

http://www.typotracker.com/

How to check the ebayer reputation

http://www.toolhaus.org/cgi-bin/negs

HTH

AlexGT