It seems the cup of tea did the trick.

I was finally contacted by the buyer and he has asked me to hold the item he bought until early January. It seems he's too busy to travel to the pickup location. I said I will hold it but will expect him to pay a storage fee on the pickup day, to which he agreed. So that's where we stand at the moment. This may turn out alright yet, but it will certainly be the longest Ebay transaction I've ever had. 

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

Cheers,

bh354