Cherrypie - take no notice of Ravid's rant, I have been buying and selling on eBay for years and I haven't experienced any of that. You do have to keep your wits about you, and look at feedback from other people before you bid for something. Only bid to the maximum which you can afford, don't get carried away. The same as high street shopping or other mail order, if it says 9ct gold it has to be.
Open a PayPal account and pay that way, it means you don't have to give your bank account details to the seller.
I have had problems - late payers, stuff not quite as described - buying and selling too, but it's always been resolved quickly and satisfactorily. I always go to eBay these days when we want to buy something, there are some great bargains to be had.