SLS, I responded to paul's actions the way I wanted to......no excuses from here for what I typed.....didn't have a bad day or anything to set me off....in this forum i do believe we are invited to comment on a topic, the way we see it....dale will tell us when to stop and what's inappropriate.....in all my transactions on ebay i have left one negative feedback, for something paid for but never received, and then only after exhausting every avenue to get the item or recover my dough.....never threatened negative feedback ONCE to get the seller to "do the right thing"...finally left it echoing what a score of others left as the 100% good seller bombed out on a scam....hey, i learned a good lesson there, but i really didn't buy from anyone else on ebay for 6 months...i felt suckered, especially after my usual checking around to see who the seller was....negative feedback is the only red flag anyone has "to judge" someone's intergrity at ebay....sellers and buyers don't want any, ever!!! ...even if you can put it behind you emotionally, it's still there for the world to see....in eleven years of bicycle retailing and thousands of repairs, i always tried my best to satisfy everyone who walked thru my doors, but alas, some cannot be made happy no matter who started what or what one does to make them win, even if you lose money or face in front of staff and customers....bullying was mentioned....that is what the negative feedback is when it comes across your bow in the first email....would it have started out like that if these two were standing across the counter from one another???? doubtful....look closely at the item, accept it or reject it, or bargain it down if it looks damaged but really, you want it.... these remote deals are based so much on faith and also how well you communicate after the aution ends, not to mention once the item arrives and there is that moment of truth when you open the present from the stranger....Matteo was refered to as a troubling individual, refered to his true nature and class coming out as a bad business man with a poor attitude....hmmmm....so i think what paul did, how he behaved was "certainly uncalled for".....maybe my words are a bit more acidic and sarcastic than others posts on this episode....i did not intend them to be any other words than those i wrote, or how they sounded.... you got it! if paul has been belittled, than i have addressed his behavior as i intended. charlie flaherty baltimore maryland usa.... FORTUNA FAVERT FORTIBUS </HTML>