I have made dozens of purchases on eBay, and have been lucky, never
being disappointed.  I do however, frequently send questions to the
seller.  I think you can tell a lot by the answer (or lack of answer).

Regarding the question posed by Don Teach, "Should you step in when you
see something misrepresented?"  My answer would be definitely.  Maybe
a carefully worded email would bring out the better side of the seller,
or get him to add more clarifications.  If you can identify the bidder,
clue him in on what questions to ask.

"Let the buyer beware" works better at a conventional auction where the
bidders can see and feel the item.  Even then, good auctioneers point
out hidden details they know about.

Mike Schoeppner