Dave, I've purchased plenty of stuff on eBay, and usually get exactly what I expect. I'll admit that I'd rather buy from a forum member, but I ended up with one lemon that way as well, though the member is no longer around, probably for good cause.
I think I just check pretty carefully what I'm buying, I know what I want to spend, and I pretty much come away satisfied with the transaction. Of course, as you correctly observe, most of the stuff that might be wrong is pretty easily repaired if you have the skills. 
