On 29th December, when I clicked pay now on a purchase, I got this message in red: "The sellers can't accept payment right now. Contact them for help. Error Code 70164. " I tried repeatedly to pay but only got the same error code. Numerous emails to seller (U.S. seller said he'd had several customers with the same problem), eBay and Paypal were worthless. Obviously a technical problem jammed the sale when trying to connect to Paypal and there it sat. I called eBay service several times and got lame and ridiculous suggestions about what caused it but they never admitted it had anything to do with them. Then exactly two weeks after the problem occurred, I got an email from ebay saying the seller had opened an unpaid item case against me. I was gobsmacked and furious since it wasn't my fault I couldn't pay! But then ebay sent me a second email which stated that the item had been paid and an unpaid item won't be recorded on my account. 

Of course no payment went through but when I checked my ebay page, the unpaid item had disappeared entirely. I presume this is the only way eBay can clear the stalled item from your ebay page. I've posted this to let others know about this in case it happens to them.The U.S. community board is full of people badly affected by this Code 70164 which is apparently a flaw in the system that occurrs sporadically and you are unlucky if you are one of its vixctims. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this won't happen to me again!