Jim is correct. You are not harming the buyer --and you can tell him that-- if you order eBay to issue an Unpaid Item Dispute notice (easy to do; see below). Once the buyer pays you or the dispute is resolved, the strike disappears from the buyer's record. If he doesn't answer or resolve it properly or pay, you (1) get your Final Value Fees credited, (2) get --in effect-- a free relisting, and (3) generally any negative feedback left by the buyer will be canceled if he doesn't answer your dispute or answers unsatisfactorily. (If the buyer gets three or so (I forget how many) unresolved Reports of Unpaid Item Dispute, he will be suspended or whatever, thus protecting fellow sellers.

It is easy to get eBay to issue an Unpaid Item Dispute notice. Just go to your My eBay and look up the transaction there and then look for the drop down menu to find "Report an Unpaid Item."

Robert

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Aruba Americana $25 & $100 special plastic core chips

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=150258687866