Folks, I really wasn't looking for "sympathy" I was informing people that ebay can't be trusted. They alter their seller reviews to suit their own agenda and give no option to contest their decisions plus they do not enforce their money back grantee.

On the other hand I just had a similar situation happen on Amazon. Their response and the response of the seller was almost immediate. Money refunded, situation corrected, money back grantee honored.

Vote with your dollar.

Very few people buy on EBay more often than I do. Without it, I would never be able to be Caveat emptor. Whenever I buy electronics, I always write the seller, ask for serial #'s, any knowledge of personal history of the item, etc.

Sigh... I am an avid eBay seller, but I do not and will not sell electronics. As a matter of fact I don't like to buy electronics off of eBay because I search for sellers with excellent feedback before I buy anything and most electronic sellers have a very high selling volume, but they have a lot of negative feedbacks too. However, I did just buy a couple of old cell phones (I do NOT want a smart phone) and I keep drowning mine (either in the washing machine, or swimming). I found a lower volume seller with 100% feedback. The phones arrived and they look and work perfectly, BUT I wonder if they used to belong to drug dealers or were stolen because the text messages that were left on one of them was obvious gangsta shit being talked about.
Anyway, being an eBay seller (for a loooong time) has taught me a few things. People are very creative in their ways of scamming you. I once had a buyer say they received a travel sized box of kleenex instead of their item. I know, I couldn't believe either. She wanted a refund. I told her I sent the item she purchased and I don't give refunds unless I get the item returned. She then filed a complaint and mailed me a box of travel sized kleenex. The name brand on the box of kleenex was from a drug store only in PA (where the buyer was)...I'm in AZ. She was granted a refund by eBay and she left me negative feedback that I was stuck with for a year. They believed the buyer over me...a long time seller with perfect feedback and a high score. I was out the item AND the money from the sale. And I got a negative feedback for it too. I was robbed!
Curious...what was the feedback of the seller you purchased from?

I know some highly reputable numismatic firms that have eBay sales outlets. However, in seven years writing the Online column for the ANA magazine, I never once mentioned eBay, even though eBay is a magazine advertiser. Too many problems are associated with it. Largely, when I do mail order of any kind, I depend on the VENUE. For instance, the coin magazines and newspapers tend to vet their advertisers and I also know VCOINS as being a reliable network of vetted dealers. But that is just one market. If I need anything electronic or mechanical, I go to a local store. Even if you buy online from Best Buy or OfficeMax or whatever, you always have the hapless schmucks at the local store to complain to. It makes a difference.

eBay is a Turkish bazaar for the cut-throat buyer who is willing to be cheated for the opportunity to cheat someone else. I prefer a different business model as described in ATLAS SHRUGGED.