Go to Ebay then help then safe trading and they have a detailed overview. For any large purchases I do over $500 I request the use of escrow.com. If the seller absolutely refuses and I don't feel good about the transaction then I won't do the deal. Paypal -click Help and then click-Security Center The question about the credit card protection is really a gray area- If you pay by cc directly to a vendor you would have your cards protection if applicable. However if you do Paypal and pay with a credit card, paypal is the cc processor and only would guarantee if you bought the extra protection they may offer you depending on the type of account the seller has. You'd think your cc co. would protect you but it's not always the case. Also since many of these purchases run into the thousands of $$ the ebay and paypal protection is usually capped. Good Luck with the dispute on the frame. Alec