I only use ebay to contact the seller about buying outside of ebay....Yes, I'm breaking the rules. I used to not do that, abiding by the terms of ebay, but then I realized that many sellers are using ebay for free advertising by starting their auctions with high prices with the intent of selling off of ebay. 9 times out of 10, if I inquire on an item, the seller will tell me it's for sale locally too, which is secret handshake speak for contact me about negotiating a deal outside of Ebay.

Ebay is a shell of its former self, and if it weren't for the momentum it's achieved from years past, it would be defunct.

To clarify, my offline conversations are with those that are local enough to take it to face to face dealings. I wouldn't buy anything offline of ebay that wasn't local.