i bought a serger on ebay--it was well packaged and arrived in good condition--price was 'good'.... but when i needed assistance with it, i had to pay for 'guide classes' at my LQS--(would have been free if i bought machine from them)--so, together, i can't say that i got a great deal. I shopped for Bernina Embroidery machine on Ebay also--but found that the prices from the 'big' sellers were not significantly different from the discounted prices on a new machine from the Bernina dealer in my area (deep discounts over list). So compare the 'best' deal you can get on a new machine and factor in if you would take advantage of the free guide classes for buying locally.