We actully spoke directly to the guy, he has a shop in Leeds, and the ebay is just a add on to what he already sells. Paid for it over the phone and get a full 2 yr gaurentee 1 from him and 1 from Cannon.
One of my other halfs work collegues got the same lense from him the other week and I had a play with it the other day.
Like you have said its not a great lense, but TBH i am no pro, its just a hobby for me and if I can make a saving and still get shots that I am happy with thats all that matters to me. Anyway once I have a better paid job I can always upgrade the cam and the glass for better stuff.