GRRRRR, I want to bid on something on Ebay, but...

[Pierre.Suave]

the seller has ZERO feedback, has sold nothing before, and is not responding to my very simple request for some more pictures of the item so I feel more comfortable bidding.

[michreject]

1. Follow your instincts,

[Pierre.Suave]

2. I am

and am not bidding until I hear back.

[HopeHoops]

3. Unless it is rare enough that you're unlikely to find another,

it is usually best to pass unless the cost is minimal. Everyone has to start somewhere, but response time during the auction is generally an indicator of response time if you run into trouble.

[Pierre.Suave]

4. Agreed

and it is not that rare, just a good price on a decent older turntable for a beginner.

However, I found an even better deal on a Marantz Table that is probably 100 times better than the other one, even if it does cost more, and the seller has 100% positive feedback.

[HopeHoops]

5. First time seller is offering a turntable? That's weird enough on its own!

I started out with little trinkets that I didn't care about just to figure out how the system worked. I didn't want to get ripped off on a big item by a naughty buyer! I'm comfortable with eBay now, but there's a bit of a learning curve - setting up PayPal, figuring out shipping, etc. Although shipping is easier now that you can just put in the weight and carrier - you used to have to calculate it and respond to inquiries - that was a pain in the ass!