When considering buying a bass guitar, first you should consider your genre (are you a jazz bassist, a punk bassist...etc) because this can seriously alter your choice of bass guitar. When I was looking around for a decent value yet good quality bass for my indie / alternative band, i found yamaha to be the best make for me. They are very strong and extremely reliable. If you are a begginer or want a real bargain, i would buy the Yamaha RBX-170. For my second bass guitar, i went back to yamaha. This time i bought the BB-414, this bass has a much better sound quality, and also gives a much better slap and pull off sound for more experienced bassists. I also reccomend Ibanez basses, but i would not choose a 5-string bass guitar (i just be old-school, but i just dont like that extra string). Finally, if you are considering buynig a bass guitar from ebay, I STRONGLY suggest picking up the bass, rather than having it posted to you (as basses are strong, but they arent made of concrete, they are still musical instruments). To finish off, pics, if you want to buy a guitar pic, thats easy but rememeber that bass pics are usually thicker (i suggest around 1.75mm).

I hope this guide has been of help.

Remember, if you want to end up like this hero, get practisin' ur slap bass!