With Ebay, you really do have to be careful.
Things I look for when buying from EBAY.
User positive vs negative ratings ( i actually read them to get a feel of how they do biz)
I look for companies that have a storefront.
I will google their ebay name and biz name to see what comes up. (sometimes good/bad revies are left online somewhere else)
Emailing the store ahead of time to check their response. (ask about warranty and return policy)
Ask about how they ship the product. (double box, overnight shipping, ect)
Generally I look for companies that have over 1000 feedback and atleast 99% positive rating. (for bigger purchases)
I will check completed auctions to see if the same item was listed before and at what price.
Try to use PayPal with a credit card that will generally give you some insurance if the deal goes bad.
Pay only through EBAY checkout. Dont paypal directly to sellers account. Use the EBAY checkout to facilitate payment.
And if you still are not feeling good about it, print it out and take down to your local Hydro store. (which I have done)
They might not be able to match it but maybe they can get it closer to that price without the hassle of online stress.
Either way good luck,
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