Do NOT miss that that in this auction the was a clear pattern that drew the strongest of suspicion of fraud upon the seller himself. No one -- you included -- should buy from frauds!
Especially not on Ebay, where the item being bought is not present to be examined.
When I go shopping on eBay, I search that seller out pretty darn good before I bid. That doesn't always work; but it works often enough to give a pretty good selling history.
I think you can learn more about a person selling on eBay than you can shopping at flea markets.
I don't see much of a difference between the two. (fraud potential wise).