I noticed someone mentioning that they are afraid to buy on ebay.
Don't be afraid to buy items on ebay as ebay is very strict on maintaining a happy buyer. About a year ago, I started buying trains on ebay and have probably bought about 20 items.
Two items I had trouble with. The seller never sent the item so ebay refunded my money. The other item was a PFM sound system that said 'as is'. Bids were low so I got it for a good price and figured it was working as I have bought about 5 already for my layout. It didn't work but figured that was my lost but I thought I'd put in an evaluation on the seller in that even though it said 'as is' he should have checked it out. Ebay saw my evaluation and told me; unless it says for 'parts only', it better work. Ebay gave me about a week to resolve it with the seller. The seller wanted me to send it out and have it repaired at my expense. In the end, ebay refunded my money, plus they paid for the return shipping.
Some sellers put in 'no refunds, no returns' but ebay guarantees everything you buy.
For me ebay is top notch in protecting the buyer.
I find auction houses are also great. Initially, I thought, since the buyer pays 19-22% on the item, the items are going to be very costly. I adjust for the 20% markup and make my bid, accordingly. Also, since so many items are sold in just a day, a lot of stuff goes at a very good price. I put my bids in before the auction starts as, since each item sells in 45 seconds or less, unless you are at the auction, there's no way to bid quickly, online.
Two that I like are Stout's and Morphy. They have just 'train' auctions.
My view is, I put in a bid on what I think it is worth, if I get it, great, if not, there's more out there that will be for sale.
I'm in multiple hobbies and I was cleaning up my 'hobby shop' and found a lot of stuff that I'll never use and have had for 10 years. Most of it I mark at 25-50% of what I bought it for or present going price. In the last month, out of about 40 items, all but 6 so far, have sold in a few days. I view this as a hobby, not a business. I got my 'fun' out of it. If I really don't want it anymore, I put a price on it so it sells quickly. When I buy something, it's because I want it, not 'can I make a buck on it in the future', it's easier to sell things later. Remember, we really don't own anything, we're just caretakers of them, as, sooner or later, you will be gone!