Thanks for all the suggestions!
I find it interesting so many of you recommend localbitcoins/OTC or making personal contacts through the forums. I'll have to give these routes a try when I next look to trade. Trust is still an issue, especially for larger transactions.
I've tried localbitcoins.com but no one has gotten back too me. Would anyone recommend buying coins off forums instead? I prefer not to deal with exchanges because I don't see the need to give out some personal information just for some virtual currency
OTC of the form marketplace both work, just use escrow for large transactions.
Any suggestions for an easy way to escrow?