well thats not from ebay, and there are siteds other than ebay to purchase these used.
But this one looks pretty solid. It would certainly be good for the type of work we would be using it for. The only plastic parts on it are ones that dont really take a significant load and are not adjusted while the parts are in rotation.
Anyway, this is just one of many mini lathes i have fond for this price, brand new. i have seen some for 399 also, but i really didnt do much hunting to answer your question. For my own, personal use, i spent a few hours one day just checking out differant mini lathes. And, i was suprized at how affordable they are becoming. it was just a 30 sec yahoo search. if there are things you do not like about this model, that are others out there in a similar price range
Still, for home use, this is a pretty nice mini lathe. My only concern would be the size of stock you can use. But, installing a differant chuck would solve that.