I think ebay gets a lot of unnecessary bad publicity. There are many great sellers on there. I used to be a seller years ago. Not coins, but other collectables. I have bought enough coins to where I have a group of trusted sellers I deal with regularly, and sometimes being a repeat customer has its perks. Yes there are some shady characters on there that you have to watch out for. That is where you have to become a conscious buyer. You have to do a little digging on your seller. Read feedback, and don’t let negative feedback drive you away until you see why the negative feedback was left. A lot of buyers will jump the gun and leave a neg without it being warranted. Recognize red flags. If you see a seller with 0 feedback and trying to sell something for thousands of dollars…well thats a red flag to me. I agree stock photos are not my favorite. Maybe if I were buying a toaster, I wouldn’t care, but I want to see the exact coin I am buying. I look for sellers that put some effort in their listings. Good photos and a description will go a long way. I think most of the sellers on ebay are legitimately good people and there are always the few bad apples that make it harder for those that are honest. There is always the possibility to get burned, but that can happen in any aspect of life. Bottom line is to know what you are buying and who you are buying it from.