: The problem in these situations [interference with contract] is
: that there are two bad guys, and only one victim . . . it can
: get dicey.

I'm impressed that you got a result on this.

I had the same thing happen a month or two back where I B-I-N'd a Carrera 2447 NS which was newly listed and considerably undervalued. Paid immediately, but the watch never showed up and the seller became incommunicado. I had no trouble getting my money back from eBay, of course, but the seller almost certainly realised his error and sold off-eBay to an enquirer. That I posted my smug purchase on here minutes after 'winning' was, I feel, a mitigating factor.

The moral is: If you win a bargain on eBay, keep schtum about it until it's in your hands.