Chippy,
I received my tracking information for EMS - it should be here (Phoenix, AZ) within 4-5 business days.
Project,
I thought about your questions for a bit, and formulated my answer. So far my dealings with Eletroworld.cn have been extremely good. They were quick to respond to all of my questions, even after the sale. Not only that, they sent me emails out of the blue with updates on customizing the device and are providing a web page with links to different language packs, firmware upgrades, and other things. I know their webpage doesn't look like much, but they seem to me to almost be as excited about playing with the device as we are. I've already received my tracking information which means it has shipped. By no means is my relationship with them complete yet, but so far I'm very happy with the service. As for buying it from the eBay auction, well it does give you a little extra protection. At the same time, its still coming from China and its still being shipped via EMS (I think). They aren't selling you the english version. I believe Eletroworld is actually taking the time to load the english language pack for you before shipping it. Looks like its just a matter of choice, but I ordered mine from them based on Chippy's experience, which seemed good to me.
Tux,
Hey good to see you! Welcome to Mobileread and we hope you stick around to share your experiences with us. Once the Q7 arrives I'll likely spend a couple days doing my review with the stock OS and then I'll start toying with the Mer install. I look forward to doing that. I've been chatting with the Mer folks in IRC just about every day to see what the latest info is. Thanks for the link to the easy install. It should be exactly the same to install it on the Q7.