Alex, don't relist until the case closes!

Also - you'll want to read through eBay's Fee credits page, relevant to exactly this sort of situation.

It is frustrating having to wait until you can open the Unpaid Item Case, then waiting for 4 days until the case can be closed, but this is the only way to make sure that everything goes smoothly and that you are following policy... so that you'll get back  your final value fee.

Did your previous non-paying bidder agree to cancel the sale? Just keep an eye on your eBay invoice to be certain that you have been/will be credited the final value fees for that non-sale, too.

@justkidzbiz, it's annoying, I know. You can rarely be certain about whether or not a buyer's story is genuine... I don't think erring on the side of compassion is a bad thing, but if your gut is telling you that there's something a little suspicious about it, then the world won't cave in if you open an unpaid item case. At worst, the buyer will receive one striike, which isn't going to stop him/her from buying from anyone on eBay (since the minimum block is for 2 strikes). That one strike won't stay there for ever; it isn't visible; and buyers can appeal strikes by contacting eBay with a reason or a sufficiently determined approach, anyway.

I'm a buyer, not a seller... I have never failed to pay for an item, but let's say that one day something bizarre happens. Perhaps my cat goes dancing on the keyboard, and hits precisely those keys which open an item on eBay, hit on the right buttons to bid or buy now, also hit on confirm, and voilà. If it weren't an item I wanted, I think I'd contact the seller with profuse apologies and an offer to pay their final value fees and relisting fees. I'd add that if they were to send through a Buyer Requests Cancellation, I'd immediately accept it with gratitude (so as not to keep them waiting with relisting, etc.), and would also say that if they decided to open an unpaid item case, I would accept with grace that this was what they thought necessary in the running of their business.

Mind you, has any of those stories about the cat or the child or a mysterious entity of some sort buying an item ever actually happened...?