"As I mentioned too, I think ebay's tendency to describe some borderline dodgy sellers as "reputable" is misleading for buyers.  If I was new to ebay and I see a seller described as "one of eBay's most reputable sellers. Consistently delivers outstanding customer service", I would take that at face value as an endorsement"

I coudn't agree more and have posted the exact same thing on the boards on more than one occasion.

I've been following this case everywhere, not just on eBay.

The seller's  been posting  a picture with the words " buyer awareness" on the envelope.

Taunting them , " you should have read the description more carefully".

Because I've been following the case everywhere, the seller may get more than he bargained for, outside of eBay.

More negative feedback has been removed which reinforced the possible outcome.