Thanks to everyone who has posted in response on this thread :-)

You have all given me a lot to think about and a great list of resources to use for my adventure into straight razor shaving.

I understand now the perils of buying razors off ebay without the proper knowledge and investigation.

The sites from the UK that were posted by PhatMan and cpcohen1945 were very useful and I think I am going to get a razor from (The Invisible Edge) as they have perfect beginner razors at a good price. Also for a bit more they offer a complete starters kit.

Thanks you again for all of your help, I'm sure that I will enjoy many years of close shaves in the future :-)