[all day baby]

Snipe all auctions if possible... do not give someone a chance to Shill you up on an item.. When I first started bidding on ebay i got taken numerous time for hundreds of dollars before i realized or knew what people were doing (bidding up there own items) . Again SNIPE ALL AUCTIONS IF POSSIBLE>>> In other words bid with only a few seconds left on the auction.

This is good advice, as long as you don't see it for the first time with less than a minute left, then decide to bid on it.

By research I mean, check for similar cards in the closed auctions. There, you can check the player's autograph on other cards, see if the same card sold previously by the same seller (and he still has it to sell again), check the amounts similar cards sold for, and check the numbering. Also, check here to see if the card listed on eBay even exists. Some sellers claim theirs is a variation or an error card, when none exist, or they DO exist, but in different quantities stated in the auction. And finally, research the seller. There are some I block because I KNOW they shill up their auctions.

Good luck and have fun!