maybe because both these guys sell chips, I thought the "reputation" aspect was important. The hobby is small.
James is a known entity. If he is publicly saying eBayerXYZ is blocked, I don't think it is a big jump for a buyer who has never purchased from eBayerXYZ to deduce there is a higher potential for a problem.

You should be held accountable for what you say/post in a public forum. I am sure James regrets the fuss, but he posted it, and when he was called on it, his answer in summation was "I forget why and too bad". I sure hope I am not the only person who would think that kind of treatment was not right. My experience around here was we treat others better than that.