I've been in this hobby right at 5 years now. I didn't buy my first eBay sign until I'd been in the hobby for THREE YEARS (and I've only bought ONE off of there). That's how long it took for me to feel like I knew enough to be comfortable buying something off eBay. I still don't buy the smaller pump plates off eBay...too easy to get fooled.
My advice is to buy from the guys on here and to go to as many of the reputable shows you can to look at the real thing up close. There is no substitute for that. If you can go with a more experienced collector who can point out stuff to you, even better. After all, there are a few dealers selling fake stuff (knowing and unknowingly) even at the better shows.
