wow, small world
i think you are a little safer from being scammed than i am. e-bay is usually pretty safe. if the truck is new, pics shouldn't really matter anyway. i only went through paypal and rcu. if something goes wrong, it's completely up to paypal to bail me out. i bought mine just a couple of hours ago.
which hobby store do you go to? if you haven't been to cutting edge hobbies yet, they are a small, new, family owned business and they actually help you with your problems without nickel and diming you to death. a bunch of us get together on Sundays to bash and sometimes race. you should check it out sometime.
i know of a couple of good bashing spots. the problem is, the terrain is too rough for my rustler and my buggy, so that's another reason i'm eager to get my flux. recently, skateparks have been my bashing spots of choice. they're great for learning air control and judging speed needed to clear gaps.