Is Agon becoming the eBay of audio?

While there may indeed be some "slimy low balling " that is hardly a corruptive issue. Negotiation is part of the game here.  The proverbial sliminess from the other direction is more of a concern with too many (but by no means all) I think. Those that well understand that it is time for gear to go out of their life & move on, resisting it in self-sabotaging ways that also pollute AG in the process. Basically, a deliberate misunderstanding that money is only & always 3 things, time, effort & energy & intense willingness to waste all 3 in inappropriately wasteful amounts to get a fixed, chosen & arbitrary no. of dollars. A typical example being an individual that ruefully exclaimed that he wasn't honouring the auction because the bids were obviously (to him) far too low - with no accompanying explanation that if they were too high by the same amount, he would've returned the excess. We all have some irrational, control issues but AG can certainly exacerbate them. 

Does anyone have any enlightening stories as to how US Audiomart compares in any of the criticisms made here by anyone? 

@jond  Good eye there!  You truly sussed it out

Ebay is pure garbage Audiogon is not i sell everything here have no problems.Only sell to people with much feedback.

I've always had good experiences on Audiogon, unlike ebay or Craigslist. However, I recently looked to purchase a tube amp on Audiogon I've been looking for, but have been hesitant since the the seller has zero feedback... What's the general feeling about purchasing a higher end item from someone without feedback? Does Paypal really offer protection if the purchase goes south?

I just had a bad experience with a seller with no feedback. After his failures to follow thru I got that warm and runny feeling and walked away. Glad I did.