Louislover10, I'd be absolutely gutted if this happened to me. I'm so glad that you were able to get it resolved.
A long, long time ago I had a bad experience on ebay. Now I approach it with a great deal of caution. You can buy LE items safely if you do a lot of homework in advance. Here's a few things I've learned from other TPF members and/or have just tried myself:
1. always get it authenticated by the lovelies here (I've heard some hit & miss stories about authentication services, but if you're going to use one, check reviews of it first)
2. google the seller and search for reviews of them either on here or on sites by other buyers; don't just read for honesty, also look to see if they're known to be a major hassle to deal with if something goes wrong.
3. use toolhaus.org for ebay feedback
4. know your prices. I would start to be leery if someone was asking for less than $150 off the top price other sellers are asking for for something in similar condition. If this means waiting a few months in order to know the market better, oh well, better safe than sorry.
5. Go over the auction listing details with a fine-toothed comb. Set some guidelines for what you will find acceptable or not. I realize it's totally arbitrary, but I would never buy something without a dustbag. Sure, they can be lost. Sure, the dustbag can be knocked off too. However, in my travels, I've seen that many of the cheaper knockoff bags aren't sold with them. So, absence of one is usually perceived by me as a clue to walk away. Other people would be fine and/or set different guidelines ... even ask around and see what other buyers look for or walk from.
So, does this mean I could never be burned again? Um ... no. But I do what I can to try to minimize any risks.
I realize right now you prolly want to trash your ebay account (I did!), but if you decide to ever go back into the secondary market and pursue your HG bag, I hope you are wildly successful.
Such a pain but at least it's soon to be resolved.
