"Why should ebay do anything to a non paying bidder if the seller they didn't pay thinks it is all right to breach ebay policy? Surely that makes them as bad as each other!"

And what rule is that - that seller can't say that someone didn't pay, din't bother responding to the payment reminder, if that happens to be the truth?

Is Ebay now dictating what sellers can and can't say - gag or censorship, if you like?

All I know is that as fast as we open a dispute, issue the strike, (and expect that those buyers won't be able to bid/buy from us any more as we have our preferences set), here they come again - with a clean slate! And they don't pay AGAIN!

And donna, those with legit reasons for not paying usually respond to the seller, they don't even come into this as those sort of transactions are invariably cancelled.