Hi - I have used both eBay (766 Positive Feedbacks & 1 revenge Neg from a dead-beat bidder) and Audiogon (29 pos, no negs) at various times with almost no problems whatsoever. I do check feedback carefully, and will not buy ANYTHING from anyone who doesn't own the merchandise. If I have any suspicions, I ask a question before bidding to see if the seller knows anything about the item they are selling. It also would take something really rare for me to do business outside of the USA; not from xenophobia, but shipping overseas (or even to Canada, sorry) can be expensive, and very slow. I have found great people in both venues, and have enjoyed most of my transactions. Some people are obviously only in it for the money, so they're not particularly communicative. But, if they handle the transaction professionally, I don't mind. Bottom line? Don't buy, or bid on anything until you have investigated both the item and the seller.
Enjoy!
Ed
Enjoy!
Ed