[PKRWUD]

I do understand what you're feeling (been there several times), and you may be right. But, like I said in my PM, it's only been a week. Unexpected things do happen. For example, let's say the guy you were buying the parts from was MustangDani's boyfriend's son. He was arrested last week, and hasn't been able to come up with the high bail. He wouldn't be able to contact you from jail, and quite honestly, probably hasn't given you a second thought since the handcuffs went on. If he were more responsible, he would see to it that you were contacted, and the items sent. Then again, if he were more responsible, he wouldn't be in jail. I'm not saying this is the case. I'm not saying you are wrong. I just want you to think about other possibilities that really do happen. You seem to be getting really wound up over this, and you're worrying me. If it makes you feel better, continue to do what ever research you can, and prepare evidence so that it will be all ready to present when the time arrives. Remember, though, eBay won't even let you file a complaint until 30 days after the end of the auction, and the odds are that no one else will pursue this either until at the least, a complaint has been filed with eBay. Kind of a catch-22.

I have purchased at least 450 items on ebay, and have sold upwards of 100. I always pay with PayPal when it's an option, or with cash when it's not. I have only been stiffed by a seller one time. He had a feedback rating of 50 or 60, but mostly bought items. I paid him $30, which included $5 shipping, through PayPal. I never received as much as a single email from him, which made me nervous. It seemed like it took forever for the 30 days to pass so that eBay would start an investigation. Long before that, he started to receive negative feedback from people, myself included, who he had burned during a week long period. I was lucky. PayPal refunded my money. There was one or two guys who lost a couple hundred. eBay revoked his privledges, and PayPal filed suit against him. I never heard anymore than that. Then there was last month. I won an auction for a couple HTF Ford factory service manuals for $5. The auction ended December 5th, and I used PayPal to pay him. Since they were books, I expected them to be sent via Media Mail, which is an extremely cheap service the Post Office offers that takes forever to get where it's going. That, combined with me getting ready to fly to Florida for Christmas, made me actually forget all about it. Two weeks ago I was going through my mailboxes, throwing away old files, and I came across the email I received from eBay after that auction had ended. I pulled it up on eBay, and had to really think if I had received them or not. When I figured I hadn't, I emailled the guy. A week went by without a reply, so I filed a complaint with eBay. The next day I received an email from him telling me some personal horror story, and begging my forgiveness. Neither one of us remembered exactly which two manuals I had won (they had only been specifically identified by the pictures that accompanied the auction, which by now were long gone), but he said he still had 5 left, and would send me all 5 as his way of saying he was sorry. They arrived a few days ago, and have a market value of over $500. They included a GM service manual for 4 wheel and rear wheel anti-lock brake systems covering '88-'90 trucks and vans. This one I didn't know he was selling, but is a manual I priced at the local Chevy dealer due to a yitload of related problems recently. They wanted $110.49 for it. That one alone made it all worth it, but I also got 4 others, including a Ford Service Technician Specialty Training manual from 1996 covering electrical parts and components, a Mitchell Electrical Component Locator for 1987 Imports, A Chrysler speed control and charging system diagnostic procedure manual (300 pages on nothing but cruise control and charging systems), and a 1987 Ford Training manual on "engine, emission and related systems".

Honestly, I would say that at least half of the items I've won have taken 3 weeks or longer to reach me, and I always send the payment out within 24 hours of the auction ending.

From the other side, selling stuff can be a royal pain too, but that's another story for another day.

My advice to you is to gather the necessary information, including emails, receipts, etc., as well as who you need to give them all to. Make several copies. Also, while you can't file a complaint with eBay yet, you can contact the other people who won this guys other auctions. When I pulled up his completed auctions, he had several different winners. Looked like he was parting out his Mustang. Send an email to each of the other winners, asking them if they've had any trouble. Don't accuse him of anything, because there's no sense getting a bunch of people worked up yet, but just ask if they've had any communication problems with him. If the general concensus is that no one has heard from him since last Saturday, then the odds are heavy that something unexpected has happened to him. If other people have heard from him since Saturday, then he has been avoiding you, which would justify your feelings and concerns.

Keep me posted, and if you have any questions, just PM me again.

Take care,
-Chris