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HankronI'm sure that when each of use looks back at our beginning days of collecting/buying, we see how little we knew ("I hope no one finds out I actually paid $100 for that"). When I was a kid I bought at a local show a 1957 Topps Mickey Mantle and didn't even give it a second thought that there was a large cigarette hole through his groin, and I'm sure I could have been duped into spending my allowance (all of $5, probably) on a T206 Wagner reprint. There's nothing wrong or should be embarassing with knowing nothing about a collecting area. Like the rest of us, the current Curator at the Louvre and world reknown painting expert at Christie's was not born with knowledge about art or collectables. There is no doubt that through their formative years, they asked the same stupid questions that we all have asked.
The problem is, and as expemplified on eBay, is that many collectors are both ingorant and ingorant to their ignorance-- so dumb that they don't even realize that're dumb. Many newbies very wrongly feel that they know all the essentials and, in the process, make some incredibly bad assumptions (PSA is good, thus PRO is good). In a year or two, they will realize how ignorant they currently are ('I can't belive I was that stupid')-- but the problem is that they are bidding right now.
What I tell beginners in any area is that, as a beginner, they are ignorant (I don't mean that in a demeaning way), and ALL beginners make mistakes. It's like death and taxes, beginning mistakes can't be avoided. Mistakes usually means paying too much, but also includes ignorance to grading and how it effects value and buying fakes. Being aware of this, the smart beginner will be more careful in her choices, do her homework ('Do your homework.' How many times do you hear that in all walks of life), and be more thrifty in her beginning choices of what to buy. Accidentally buying a $5 reprint is a good learning experience, while buying a $1,000 PRO Mint Michael Jordan is a disaster.
When beginners start out by realizing their ignorance and having a place(s) to turn to for questions (such as this board), they will likey make much better choices than if they assume the know it all and have nowhere to turn.