Depends what shape it's in. does the guy who's selling even know how to tell
if it's in good shape. I'd rather spend a little more and buy from someone
who knows. Plenty of "complete" darkrooms are available in most newspaper
classifieds. Why not buy local and save yourself the shipping charges. That
way you can inspect the goods first.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=29985&item=7509764793&rd=1

 Who knows what the price is going to be when it closes. All those lenses
and you'd still want to upgrade them. Plus have you asked how much shipping
is going to be? Yup seems to be an older model but that wouldn't bother me
any.

   Nick

Maybe - but I wouldn't get too excited about this package.

the enlarger may be OK - photos look OK, but you can't tell about the
bellows.  The pictures appear to be Beseler carriers, but the description
doesn't say what format they are.  If they are minox, minolta 16 and
instamatic, then they are useless unless you are prepared to do some
metal cutting.

The lenses are not exceptional - all appear to be either very vintage or
brand-x aftermarket units.  Probably would want to upgrade to an el
Nikor.

The filter set is useless - it's old and incomplete.  You would want to
replace it entirely.

The printing frame is thrown in to make the package look appealing to a
newbie - printing frames tend to be used for contact printing large
format negatives, something that is not at all consistent with the rest
of the stuff.

The only really interesting part of this package is the enlarger.  That
then raises two questions:

1.  What will be the final selling price for the package?  If the
enlarger is in good condition, it might be worth $125 tops.  

2.  Where are you, and how much would you have to pag to get the package
shipped to you?  Enlargers are bulky and heavy - the above price would be
reasonable if you don't have to pay for shipping it across the country.  
You could probably find something equivalent in your area for around the
$125 level - so paying that price AND paying for shipping doesn't make
sense.

Others have given advice on the enlarger itself. I'll focus on the eBay
side of things, since you're an eBay newbie.

The seller has a feedback score of 911, with 920 positive and 9 negative,
for 99.0% positive. This is decent but not spectacular. (eBay suffers from
*SERIOUS* "grade inflation" when it comes to feedback. I personally get a
bit wary when a seller's feedback drops below about 98%.) I wouldn't
hesitate to buy a ~$50 item from such a seller.

As others have said, the final selling price is likely to be higher than
the current (as I type) $50.51; auctions often go up dramatically in the
last few minutes, and even in the last few seconds. This auction has
already attracted 14 bids, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it go to $100
or more.

Also as others have said, consider shipping charges. Given that you
provided a .ca eBay URL, I'm guessing you're in Canada. If so, this is
particularly important on the US-based auction. You might get better
shipping rates on a Canadian auction, or you could avoid shipping entirely
on a local sale. That'd enable you to check the item out before buying,
too.

My own eBay buying strategy is to decide on a top price I'm willing to pay
ahead of time, bid that value, and don't change my bid. The way eBay is
structured, it's too easy to get sucked into an irrational bidding war, in
which two or more parties bid increasingly ludicrous values. Deciding on
your maximum ahead of time and bidding that value and no more will help
you avoid this fate. To minimize the chance of being outbid, I sometimes
"snipe" -- that is, I bid just seconds before the auction closes. This
cuts off the possibility of an irrational counter-bid, but some people get
angry at snipers because they feel it's unfair to not give them a chance
to respond. My own view is that if they just bid their maximum from the
start, as the eBay instructions say to do, it wouldn't be a problem; a
snipe would either go beyond that value and win or the snipe would fail.
As a first-time eBayer, I wouldn't recommend you snipe, just because you
need to know where the prompts are to time it right. Be aware, though,
that others may try sniping on this (or any other) auction, so DO NOT bid
less than you're willing to pay and then assume you'll have time to up
your bid if you're outbid. The way eBay works, you place your maximum bid
and the software handles the increments, so chances are you'll pay less
than the maximum you enter (assuming you win). In fact, the way the eBay
rules work, it's the second-highest bidder who sets the price; the item
sells for the second-highest bidder's price plus the increment value (or
slightly less, if the two bids are very close in value).

Also remember that there *WILL* be another enlarger like this one. In
fact, the Beseler 23C line is very common on eBay. Research the price of
similar items before you decide what this one's worth to you. Try doing a
search (say, for "Beseler 23C"). When this search completes, you'll see a
column of boxes you can check on the left. One of these is "Completed
listings." Check that box and click the "Show Items" button. This will
show you the ending prices for other Beseler 23C enlargers (and related
gear, like lenses, negative carriers, etc., that mention the Beseler 23C
in their headings). Of course, no two used items are exactly alike, so
you'll need to peruse several of these to see what similar, but not
identical, setups sold for in the past. Combine that information with your
own judgment and budget to decide what you're willing to pay. Be sure to
remember shipping, too! Some sellers inflate their shipping charges as a
hidden profit center.