[leoedin]

I've had a completely different experience. I tend to buy "buy it now" items, particularly electronic items, regularly from ebay. I don't think in perhaps 7 or 8 years of regular ebay purchases (probably between 1 and 10 a month) I've had more than a few issues. Sometimes things get lost in the post (especially if the seller is based in China or Hong Kong), but they're often quite apologetic about it and often send another one if it never arrives.

It may be that in the past postage costs were hidden, but they've made it very clear now. The buyer pays the price + postage, both of which are clearly visible on the search page and repeated on the item and purchase page.

eBay is fantastic for small electronic components. If you need a couple of capacitors or a single (popular) chip, the price + postage is always considerably less than buying from a mainstream retailer (where £10+ postage for anything is the norm). My experience is in the UK, so elsewhere may be different.