Wow! Were I you Phil, I would back out of the deal as suggested by Alaskan Celt. It isn't really even 'backing out', at least not in my book, so no loss of honor or . That is the equivalent of adding something to a shopping cart with the intention of seeing the shipping and then being told that you were duty bound to buy the item.

I have purchased a few things from eBay, but when I found out the hard way that sellers can pull items at any time before the copmpletion of the auction, I lost respect for a system that proscribes to such a lopsided arrangement where things are not equal between buyer and seller. Buyer is allowed to back out up until zero hour without providing an explanation. Seller is expected to honor his bid.

Nah, I would not think less of you Phil for backing out of this one. Besides, unless I am remembering incorrectly, my experience with the 'Buy It Now' option is that you are permitted to click on the link to see payment issues, just as you mentioned. From there, you log in and select Paypal or back out or whatever.

Mychael