When you click on the brief description of an item in the eBay listing you are taken to a page which usually has one or more photos of the item, a description of the item, information about shipping and payment, etc.

Take a good look at this stuff!

I've purchased trains from folks in Germany and Japan and had no problems... yet. Maybe you'd prefer to stick to American sellers, just in case.

Almost everyone will accept PayPal for payment, which is convenient if you have set up a PayPal account. But some sellers want some other esoteric or inconvenient method of payment. Don't bid if you can't make payment the way they want.

Read their product description carefully. Is the item new or like-new? Does it run well, but has some scratches or rust that you might not really want?

I almost bought an empty box once (collectors like to have the/a box that their collectible came in) because I just looked at the pictures and didn't notice that the item for sale was plainly described as an empty box!

I'm not sure how it happens, but sometimes items are offered which don't belong in the category which you've chosen. For example, I'm looking for Z scale model train stuff and I sometimes find things that are not Z scale. For instance, there was a "Z scale guarded level crossing" advertised. In the description of the item it said "By Artitech unpainted resin HO scale". You might sneak some N scale items onto a Z scale layout, but HO? No way! Sometimes it's not so obvious how incorrect items get listed in the wrong place, but they do!

Sometimes what you read in the descriptions should give you second thoughts about buying from the seller. Some sellers are real crabs. They demand rapid payment, threaten you with negative feedback, or just plain insult you. One seller said "Buyer is responsible for all shipping costs even unforeseen shipping cost." Why should I be responsible for an unforeseen shipping cost. What is that anyway? Remember - you don't have to do business with these folks. Don't hesitate to take your money elsewhere!

The point is - always read the entire product description page and if you find anything disagreeable to you, don't bid! New items are put up for bid every day and sooner or later something "right" will come along.