I bought a refurb'd 55 - 200 DX VR awhile back off EBAY. It was fine. Just make sure you're dealing with a licensed reseller. My lens came with a refurb ticket from Nikon too. I know Cameta Camera sells legit Nikon refurb'd products on EBAY.

I wouldn't buy refurb'd prime lenses or heavy duty pro lenses unless it came from Nikon directly or a licensed reseller camera store, where you could try out the lens. When you're buying the cheaper DX style kit lenses, you should be fine. Just my .02.