With eBay...and I do a lot of dealing there...it is NOT 100% buyer protection as many of you are claiming. Now, in any given situation, it may be that way...but...it is not 100%.

If you always ship with tracking numbers (and signatures for items above $100), then, more often than not, eBay is pretty fair to the seller...you have proof that the item arrived...that is what they look for. I have had several times where the buyer claimed that they did not receive the item...and eBay, while not "siding" with me as the seller, did not make me pay for it either...I guess they actually gave the buyer their money, but they did not take it out of my account.

Also...the current buyer scam is to want a partial refund. Simple...just say no...tell them to ship it back to you (at their expense, per eBay policy) and you will give them a full refund. I have had several people try this...and when I said no, they simply went away. If they then want to leave negative feedback (one tried this), eBay stepped in and did away with their feedback.

Finally, on BIN versus auction...I think that eBay has moved to where both are viable paths...for both buyer and seller. For most items, BIN is what I use (with a best offer option)...I set the BIN as close to what I think FMV is for the item (maybe a tad on the high side, honestly)...and then allow the market to decide the price...BIN with best offer is very similar to auctioning, except that it offers both the buyer and seller the option to "set the price" to some degree. What I find on this is that most buyers come in and make an offer to for LESS than 1/2 the price...to the point of, at times, being offensive! But...then I have also developed some pretty loyal buyers that know me and buy a lot of parts from me. They typically make valid offers...and I am often pretty accepting...particularly when they are buying a collection of items.

With auctions...I use them when I am uncertain about the price of an item...or I have a "sale" item. I often will box up a collection of "parts only" type pieces...many people can use some of these...I will open the bidding at about $1.00 (I like to use random numbers here!)...and I charge for shipping on these items (99% of what I sell has "free shipping"). At a starting bid in the $1 area, I cannot afford to free ship...as it would put me way upside down on these. I hope people find these to be kind of fun...as they are like the "Box o' Crap" stuff here, but maybe a bit more useful.

My other use of auctions is when I am uncertain of where an item should be priced...or the market shows wild variations...I often do this for frame/fork's that I am selling...set a reasonable opening bid (both from what I can find for a price and for what I need to consider for the piece) and then let the auction run its course...a true "market value" operation (in my opinion).

Well...that is my $.02...for what it is worth...but...I have done nearly 1000 transactions this year...with pretty good success...and very little pain (although I have to admit, I do have some)...