As both a buyer and a seller on eBay, I would suggest to anyone that contact be made between the buyer and the seller ASAP upon closing of the auction. I also strongly recommend using insurance as one never can tell if the seller has sent out the package or if it has been "lost." I am unsure of international tracking, but for within the US, insurance is quite useful.

Also, after a reasonable amount of time (a week or so), if the package has not been received, email the seller. If no response, contact Ebay and they will share the sellers phone number with you so that you can get in contact with the seller.

I'm sorry you had this experience on eBay. In over a thousand transactions (combined buyer and seller), we have only ever had one problem. I think eBay is a great resource for those hard to find items, collectables for those of us who are unable to spend the time or money to travel the world in search of whatever.

I do agree though that for the one seller who fell through for us, I was very disappointed and frustrated. It definately is the principle of the thing that is most frustrating. Ours was for a book that cost $18.00....for some of you that might not be any big deal, but during that particular time, it was a HUGE deal to spend that kind of money on a non-necessity item. In fact, it was a book that I had planned on giving my husband for his birthday. I was most unhappy.

Michelle