since i'm new to the trading game and have 0 rep, i'll go first. i'm not really sure what people usually expect, but i suppose you'd wait until the item is received until sending the bitcoins my way. we'll figure something out.
since amazon gift ecards are purchased with moneypak, this has been sometimes a problem.
if you are willing to wait until the item is received, you are 100% at the mercy of the seller -- and you could get scammed that way. there are plenty of escrow providers that can be used:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=108716here's good information:
When you trade OTC you engage in a transaction with people you possibly know nothing about. You may send your BTC to the person, and never get anything back. Or you may send your $currency to the person expecting BTC, and get nothing in return. This is a highly undesirable outcome for you, and you should do your best to guard against that.
http://wiki.bitcoin-otc.com/wiki/Using_bitcoin-otc#Risk_of_fraud