I've said it before and I'll say it again...

Insurance is strictly the *sellers* responsibility and not the buyers. *** It is the party that SHIPPED the item that is at risk *** It is also the responsibility of the seller to prove delivery. I don't know why sellers don't ship items of value or concern by a method in which the shipment can be traced or at least delivery confirmed.

Paypal and all major credit card companies provide *buyer* protection and this is precisely why I don't generally bid on auctions where these payment methods are not accepted.

No ebay buyer should ever pay for a seller's insurance (the buyer is not "at risk") and it certainly isn't up to the buyer to prove he didn't get an item as it is impossible to do so.

If ebay buyers and sellers continue to listen to the "legal gurus" on this board, they will continue to have these kinds of problems. In this case, PayPal did the right thing.

The seller should have provided for adequate insurance and shipping given the value of the item in question.