If you are concerned the seller might take your money and not send the item, consider picking it up in person. Spending a couple hundred dollars (or less) to drive to another state to pick up a five-thousand dollar item isn't unreasonable. If the seller balks at this, tell her the deal is off.

Alternatively, you can use an escrow service, which will hold your money until the item is delivered to you, and then pay the seller. eBay recommends that you use http://www.escrow.com.

David: Give us three powerful tips that'll make us safe and successful eBay buyers.

Michael: One, ask questions. You can never ask too many questions about an auction item. If you need lots of details, ask the seller for her telephone number so you can discuss the item in depth.

Two, check out your seller's background before you bid.

Three, don't get carried away bidding; you may win but suffer buyer's remorse. Sometimes when you have competition it's easy to up the bid "just another five dollars." Do that a few times and suddenly you're spending money you don't have.

David: Likewise, as sellers, give us three powerful tips that'll improve our chances of sales success and keep us safe.

Michael: One, in describing your auction items, make every word count, particularly in titles. Buyers don't do searches for words like "awesome" and "kewl," so avoid using such subjective descriptors in titles (they annoy more than attract).

Describe each item in clear terms, and include any flaws or defects. Be precise about size, brand name, and other details. This will save you from answering the same questions over and over. Spell-check your descriptions. And be honest.

Two, use photos or scans as much as possible. One picture really is worth a thousand words, and buyers will look at auctions that have photos before they'll look at auctions with no photos.

Three, communicate with your buyers immediately after the auction, when you receive payment, and when you ship their items. With all the eBay horror stories in circulation, many buyers are all too ready to believe they are being ripped off.

Staying in touch with buyers assures them that dealing with you is a positive thing, and they'll be sure to leave Positive Feedback, and will probably bid on your auctions again.

David: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Michael: Don't waste your time on dubious products that purport to cure cancer, enlarge body parts, disclose eBay "secrets," make you wealthy, etc. As in the real world, anything that seems too good to be true is exactly that.

Glenn Paulis Chief Technical Officer and Founder of dotPhoto, Inc.