SAN DIEGO -- Some consumers are discovering that when they bid on eBay, they're opening a portal to problems.

Tina Schimke and her husband, Dwayne, began having trouble with eBay when they placed a bid on a bike from what looked to be a legitimate seller, San Diego television station KGTV reported.

"He had quite an ad on the site -- it had lots of bikes. I admit, I didn't completely read the ad," Tina Schimke said.

When the Schimkes e-mailed back with a question about the shipping cost, the seller allegedly blasted them with a nasty e-mail.

"As soon as he got my e-mail, he was pounding the keyboard and venting," Tina Schimke said.

The anger didn't stop there, she said.

The seller allegedly left her a message that said, "Hey there, schmuck boy -- not answering the phone now?"

The alleged eBay bully was on a roll.

"I know exactly where you f---ing live. E-mail me again and see what happens to your little b---- a--," the accused bully said in the message.

"I was afraid this person was a maniac and was going to show up on our front door," Tina Schimke told the station.

The Schimkes aren't alone. This eBay bully had struck before, the station said.

He allegedly called the Burleson household 37 times.

Cindy Burleson and her daughter, both from Dallas, were also hammered over their questions about comic books the man was selling.

Cindy Burleson said the accused bully threatened her life.

"(He said,) 'I'm going to kill you. Scumbags like you shouldn't be allowed to live.' (He said) stuff like that," Burleson said.

These women and the Schimkes filed police reports but got no results.

So, the station went looking for the accused eBay bully and tracked him to a home in Cleburne, Texas, near Fort Worth, Texas. It's not only where he lives, but also where he does business.

Frank Esquitin, the name of the alleged eBay bully, also goes by the following eBay aliases: Old School Riderz, Cool Cat Cycles and Cool Cat Biker, the station reported.

He's been arrested on charges related to drugs, weapons violations and harassment, police records show.

A Dallas TV station tried to get a response from Esquitin, but no one answered his door.

Esquitin later told KGTV by phone that his accusers are deadbeats and sociopaths. He said that if he threatened them, they must have threatened him first.

Despite complaints, Esquitin is still on eBay.

The company said it assumes no responsibility for any encounters outside its Web site.

"I think I'll use eBay again, but I'll hesitate," Tina Schimke said.

Burleson and her daughter said they will tread more carefully after their experience with the alleged eBay bully.

"We were terrorized. He terrorized us. If he wanted to terrorize us, it worked," Burleson said.

10 Tips For Surviving eBay, from "eBay For Dummies."

Don't exchange personal information.

Read all of the information about the seller.

Verify recommendations from other buyers.

Read all of the information about the listing.

Be patient. Allow sellers to respond to your question.

Let eBay know if you receive racist, obscene or harassing language.

Report invalid e-mail addresses.

Tell eBay if you start receiving spam after a transaction.

Tell eBay if someone tries to intimidate you by threatening to post negative feedback about you.

Beware of anyone asking for your passwords to eBay or PayPal.