Would you ever purchase a receiver off Ebay?

I have done it with great results. My first high end receiver, a B&K AVR 202, was bought new and far less expensive than from a store. I bought a Denon 3808 on Amazon Marketplace and a B&K AVR 307 on EBay too, used.

Are you considering a new or used unit? If you're thinking of used (and high-end), I'd also recommend checking out Audiogon.

Items on Ebay are generally described correctly as to condition. I have not had any issues over the years. Usually it is a retail store with an ebay presence. AVR's these days with all the HDMI issues are a little dicey to purchase used though I agree.

Ebay's protection policies tend to screw sellers, not buyers, so as long as you pick someone IN THE COUNTRY (no international!) with good feedback and a good listing that shows a good understanding of the product, and do not expect any sort of warranty on the equipment, it's fine. It's actually WAY safer than Audiogon in general.

Do -if your receiver manufacturers still honour their warranties; Don't otherwise.

Not sure about other brands, if your avr is a Denon or Marantz, not sure about those in the US, D & M Canada will not honour warranty if bought from unauthorized dealer, plain and simple. Apparently, if you are not the original owner, they may not honour the warranty either (unless you have the original bill of sales, it may be still ok).

If the avr is 2, 3 years old, then warranty is not an issue

As far as I know, no brand will give you the warranty, which I feel should be illegal. We don't accept the warranty BS with cars - we shouldn't with anything else, either. They should not be able to lock us into their price-controlled vendors, and they shouldn't be able to make a non-transferable warranty. But regardless of what SHOULD be, they all DO screw you over.

I would not buy a "new" receiver via ebay. Last time I tried something similar, the package had been opened and serial was number removed. It's not worth the piece of mind and potential warranty hassle.

Used? Sure. You can get some good deals if you're after a slightly older receiver. I've sold a few myself via ebay!

If you are buying new, no way unless you go to Denon's website and confirm the reseller is an official partner and can offer a warranty.
Refurbished, there is at least one reseller on eBay that is selling manufactured refurbished receivers that do come with a warranty. However, you can get the same price (sometimes better) off their website.
Used, as long as you know it's a bit of a gamble, why not. I have purchased a used Denon off eBay. It didn't work out for me, but it was worth a shot. No regrets.

I bought a factory refurbised Pioneer Elite 52 reciecver off ebay for $400 about 6 months ago.
I have had zero problems.

I have made several ht equipment purchases throught the bay. All of them have worked out, you just need to be careful. If you pay throught PayPal to an established north America seller, you should be ok. I had a situation that a 1500.00 was "not as described" PayPal got me my money back.

I've bought alot of great used gear on ebay. If I was serious about a receiver and wanted it new, I probably would not because of the warranty. Years back when Hi def video and hidef audio codecs were just coming out during the HD-DVD and Blu-ray war. I picked up a used denon 2301CI receiver with HDMI connectivity that served me well for years, that puppy introduced me to hi-def video and audio using toshiba's HD-A1 and later the PS3. Ebay is a great place for used gear.

Harman sells all of it B stock refurbs on E-Bay..
2 Year warranty, sold > 40K units in 2012...

Just my $0.02...

With all the stories I read on AVS about mainstream AVR's failing, I think a receiver is the LAST thing I would ever buy off Ebay. Even if it was from an authorized dealer with full warranty, who wants the hassle of having to box and ship it somewhere. Although I must admit, over the years I have had four Elite AVR's and no problems or malfunctions with any of them. Still, an AVR is far too complex a beast for me to buy without a factory warranty or faced with having to ship it for repairs.

If your looking for a deal, check out Best Buy or their Magolia stores in some select Best Buys for open box units. These will have full warranties and if for any reason something is not right with it, you have 30 days to return it. Easier to drive it back to the store for another one than to have to ship it somewhere. You can even scan individual Best Buy stores to see what open box units are in stock and the asking price.

Like everything else related to buying..let the buyer beware. I have bought all sorts of stuff off ebay to include a DVD player and I have had no problems. I am now looking at receivers. I will most likely will buy off of eBay but will buy from a seller with high ratings. Specifically, I will buy from a seller who has been selling the same brand/model I am looking for. In general, I have never had a receiver fail or any other component fail for that matter. So, I am not too concerned. My Oppo 105 aside, I try to avoid paying full MSRP on audio gear if I can help it. Also, as one person noted eBay makes a pretty good effort at protecting the interests of the buyer. With all that said, I am always on the lookout / sensitive to some else's bad buying expereince as it is a reminder that there is some level of risk and we all have different risk tolerances.