BTW, I have had many Ebay issues, and posted them here on AS. Some threads I posted about Ebay led to flame wars and the threads being removed. So I will not go into too much detail...
However, I have had several problems with Ebay over the years. More so lately than early on. I had my account jacked a few years ago by scam artists and they listed a bunch of Kawasakis for sale, using my 100% positive FB rating and sales history. Ebay was great about that and restored my account. Paypal was great too (that was before Ebay bought them).
Sales disputes are common. I have bought stuff that I never got, and bought stuff that was far less than advertized. In particular, the Saw From Hell, which was a Stihl 210 beater saw that a guy bought and flipped to me on as a "great running saw" on Ebay. I posted about that here on AS and that led to a long thread that is now deleted... for several reasons. Aside from the personal vendetta issues, the basic process led to my changing my Ebay habits from a lot of good feedback I got on AS, most of which has already been posted here on this thread. We need an AS stickey for this, really.
Basic points: Look at the seller's history for scams and flipped items, and the like. Do not buy from anyone with lss than a 98% positive rating. Do not buy from a zero seller on Ebay. O/w you are looking for trouble. Look at the photos, and particularly at what the photos do not show. Read the item, and particularly at the tone; are the covering something up? I also avoid all items sold from pawn shops. They know what stuff is worth, and what the condition is in, but often times post that they do not know the history or condition of the item. Look at the seller's history to see if he is flipping an item. Also review any negative feedback on the seller, and gaze at some of the positive feedback. Sometimes there are negative comments in positive feedback. Yahm this all takes time, but if you do not take the time, you can get burned. Once burned, you will start taking the time to do it right.
As for paying for stuff on Ebay: several issues here. NEVER, EVER pay for an item that you have not seen in person with cash, MO or personal check. For direct sales, fine, you can see the item and buy it on the spot. Otherwise pay with Paypal, and if possible, use a CC attached to the Paypal account.
Disputes after buying on Ebay: Sellers can post that an item is 'as-is' and 'no refunds' all they want, but as a seller using Paypal or credit card, they are still responsible for the item being in the condition as listed, and the item being delivered to you. If the buyer is not happy, they can file a dispute with Paypal. Do not bother filing a dispute with Ebay; they will just refer you to Paypal (which Ebay now owns). I have filed several Paypal disputes, and in all cases I have had favorable results. However, there are issues with getting money back as some have listed before in this thread. But for review, if you bought an item and never got it, send an email to the seller through Ebay. If you get no response, or flap from the seller, simply fill out a CC or Paypal dispute and state that you did not get the item. If the seller has a Paypal account with money in it, Paypal will refund your money. If you filed a dispute with the CC company, they will dock the money from Paypal and credit your card. Paypal then has to deal with getting the money from the seller (which is why they make it harder to pay with a CC on Paypal).
Now, the ugly issues... if you bought an item that is not in the condition as stated in the sale, email the seller. If they give you flap, just stop emailing them and file a dispute with the CC company or with Paypal. No point in debating with a hostile seller. In the case of CC company, and with Paypal if you get a favorable decision, they will ask that you return the item and ship confirmed mail, and ask for the mail confirmation and/or tracking number. Once the sellers signs for the item, they will refund your money. However, YOU are responsible for the return shipping costs and they will not refund that amount. I have had disputes with some Ebay sellers about condition (a chainsaw, in particular) and in one case the seller offered to take the item back. Once they got it, they refunded my return shipping costs as well. As it tured out, that seller was also an AS member. NOTE: to date, I have never been burned by an AS seller on any items bought! In another case, I bought the Saw From Hell, and the seller refused to take it back, screamed at Ebay and Paypal, and made a stink. I filed a dispute and got a favorable decision. However, I decided to keep the saw becasue: 1) I had to pay for return shipping with delivery confirmation, 2) The caveat on the return is that the seller now has the say as to the item being in the condition that it was sent out in, (they can claim that you broke it), 3) They are only liable for the limit posted in the Ebay sale ($200 or $2,000, depending), 4) The seller has to have money that can be recovered by Paypal to refund to you; if there are no funds, they cannot refund your money. So at that point I decided to keep the saw and fix it at my expense ($40 my cost) and I still have it today. The Saw From Hell is a: NEVER BUY A CHAINSAW ON EBAY YOU IDIOT momento. Items #2 through #4 above can be avoided if you pay with a CC. CC will only need delivery confirmation and they will credit your account. Also you need to use a CC that has buyer protection on the internet. I use a Chase Mastercard that has 100% money back internet purchase guarantee, and 100% internet fraud protection. Many CC companies have this type of deal, but check, and only use one that covers your azz.
Now, overall? Avoid buying saws on Ebay. Your life will be a lot easier if you avoid that. I still buy saws there, but ONLY parts saws and parts. Anything that says "runs great" or "like new"? Forget it. I consider them all as broken, scored, and beater saws that have been run with straight gas. Now and then a saw will come up that I will consider, then I will go out and look at the 210 and clense myself of the thought! It is not worth the aggrivation. I only sell parts for saws on Ebay for the same reason. It is tempting to sell whole runnign saws there, but easier to sell them on Craigslist and in person. I can get as much locally for a saw as I can on Ebay. And with no comissions, Paypal or listing costs, and no need to ship.
I bought a new bar for it but haven't put it on yet. I found out that certain Homelites have the same bar mount as the J-reds. In this case a bar from one of my 925's swapped over perfectly. At least I got a popular gauge bar and chain pitch on it now and have been grinning ear to ear ever since. The saw looks kind of strange with a Jred powerhead and a bar that reads Homelite, kind of a hybrid thing . 
