on 2Chippers.com, and we sometimes run into similar situations so I can empathize with you. In my opinion, I don't believe the consignor has any legitimate reason to expect you to buy the chip. You were attempting to help him and the deal didn't work out. If you had mailed the chip and not received payment, then yes, I would say you'd be obligated to cover the loss, but in this case, there's been no loss, just a disappointment.

As far as the ethics question, I don't see how the (potential) buyer could be charged. It's not a violation of ethics to change your mind. Obviously it's only common courtesy to respond to your emails and tell you that he changed his mind, but maybe there's a legitimate reason he hasn't responded. Perhaps he's on an extended vacation. Perhaps he's gotten a new email address and is neglecting to check the old one. Then again, maybe he's just hoping that if he doesn't respond you'll go away. If the latter is indeed the case, while it's certainly rude, I wouldn't consider it a breach of our Code of Ethics. And if it was considered a breach, it would be awful hard to prove, as he could just deny having received the emails.