buying off ebay is just like buying something from the markets, if not safer. i usually buy off the 'power sellers', them being sellers who are trusted and have very high user feedback ratings. alot of the time with these power sellers warrantys come with the goods. and also, some of the stuff is so cheap, i saw a sony cybershop p10 for like $500 once brand new if you bought it straight away. it retails for like $900 to $1000 i think.