Yeah, I've sold many hundreds of items on eBay and have never had that happen. But it probably will eventually. I've been ripped off by sellers a couple of times, but in retrospect, I should have known better.
I think you have to go into eBay assuming that you are not protected from anything in any way, and that you're just going to have to trust people. Sometimes, as in all things, it might not work out. There's inherent risk in every transaction, and you just have to decide whether that risk worth it to you for the service eBay is offering.
FWIW, I only buy from sellers who are regularly active, have a very, very, very high rating, and offer detailed photographs and descriptions that aren't full of spelling and grammar errors. And I only sell to US buyers, so that returns, if necessary, will be cheap for me to incur. And I've had pretty good luck.
