Don't believe the ratings, for one. Some of the biggest snakes I've dealt with on eBay have had approval ratings of 100%.
I'll often ask questions of the seller, sometimes ask for extra images if I'm not satisfied with the photos. I'll check the comments and sometimes their bidding history. If a seller doesn't respond to an inquiry it's an automatic pass. I'm not going to bid. The vast majority of sellers are legit, but there are some bad actors on eBay. You can't always avoid crooks. I've had a few sales that I took to eBay for arbitration and those were settled correctly.
Repeated listings can happen for any number of reasons. Often it's because a buyer on the previous listing returned the item, or flaked out on payment. Duplicate listings for the same item by different sellers are a huge red flag.
I agree with all of this. I’m just saying if the question is which do you choose when it’s listed twice, assuming a choice had to be made, how would you go about it apart from recent feedback and seller’s rating?
I get that eBay is inundated with fleas, but in answering that question, I was told my information was patently false. Just looking for an alternative route, assuming a choice was being considered.
@alaskanpiper just got the pleasure of dealing with an eBay scumbag and ended up victorious!