I was a little reluctant to trust buying though eBay at first, but I changed my mind because they have a good system of protections for buyers. Yes, the system might be abused by dishonest or overly fussy buyers, but it does help most of us buyers feel we can feel secure about our online purchases at eBay.

I don't buy from individual sellers on the Internet - especially for overseas purchases, I buy through networks like eBay, Amazon, ABEBooks, Alibris, and bookfinder.com - because they give me some modicum of security.

A couple of years ago, I bought a set of books through abebooks.com, for $186.50. The seller was in Israel. The books never arrived, and the bookseller was very evasive when I complained directly to him. I contacted abebooks, and they refunded my money with very little hassle. I think I would have lost my entire $186.50 if I had dealt only with the dealer.

-Joe-