I've never had a problem with eBay, either, but one thing to remember is, while ratings are good to go by, sometimes people get false negative ratings because someone wants to hurt their rating or there's a miscommunication that angers a buyer. But if someone has a lot of negatives, it's probably a good idea to avoid that seller.

You can also use http://pages.ebay.com/wantitnow/ if you want to post a request for an item (you're not obligated to buy from anyone or accept any offers). I love Want It Now!