Students looking for a rare collectible or hard-to find item say eBay is the easiest and cheapest way to go.

EBay's online auction site has gained a great deal of popularity since it was created by entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar in 1995. Today, users can buy practically anything - CDs, movies, cars, motorcycles, rare collectibles, or even an imaginary boyfriend.

According to the company's Web site, "On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale."

Many students who use the service said buying interesting items with the click of a mouse can be addicting, while others said they were leery of buying online.

Political science sophomore Jessa Haugebak said while she had been tempted to buy from eBay merchants, not knowing exactly what she was purchasing made her think twice.

"I have a hard time spending, like, $200 on something you can't physically see," Haugebak said.

To bid on an item, people must create an eBay profile which allows them to browse and buy items for sale or put items of their own up for bid.

Those who have had good experiences with eBay cited a variety of reasons for their patronage including the ease of online shopping, competitive prices and the ability to purchase hard-to-find products.

Amanda Driscoll, a philosophy and political science doctoral student, said while she wouldn't consider herself an avid eBay user, her experiences with online shopping have been positive.

"If I know exactly what it is I'm looking for, chances are good that I'll find it on eBay, and probably at a better price than if I shopped elsewhere," Driscoll said, but added buying over the Internet comes with a certain level of risk.

"I can't try on a pair of jeans on eBay," she said, "and you always run the risk of not getting exactly what you want."

Many students said that the only reason they would use the site is to find something they couldn't get anywhere else. Most of the time, they said, it's more convenient just to go to the mall.

"I think it'd be easier just to go buy something than bid. But sometimes (on eBay) you can get it cheaper," said Tyler Geisert, an undeclared freshman who said he lost the only eBay auction he participated in.

However, aside from the frustration students say comes from being outbid or from buying an item that was not quite what they thought it would be, some users have reported serious difficulties doing business with other eBay users.

According to the Asian news source The Straits Times, a 16 year-old British male was able to steal more than $100,000 from eBay users who paid for things that never actually existed.

Buyers have said that some objects were misrepresented or that the pictures or description of the items were misleading. Others said they never received items at all.

According to eBay, such instances are rare and those who have problems with transactions should report it through a system available on the Web site.