Assessing a bit more, it seems to be the private purchases (rather than purchases from eBay 'stores' like BensCycle)that are suspect. I'm never quite sure where the seller gets the pristine photo of the time being sold because far too often the item arrives full of dirt and grime. I've even begun to look elsewhere (nos anymore)for the vintage cycling components.
The decent aspect about ebay has been finding factual shops carrying items I need. Dealing with a viable concern seems a lot less risky (and coming with a lot less headaches)than the individual seller,.