Hi mario, my brain is not quite working today (snow shoveled and more to shovel) but what is P&P (parcel & post)?
I block bidders from other countries (other than North America) from bidding and I also list shipping in the U.S.A. at the listed shpg price as you do. If you pay with PayPal, the first scenario would have gotten you a complete refund. I sincerely hope you left negative feedback for that seller in addition to the ebay complaint.
Unfortunately, there are dishonest, unethical people everywhere and one must always keep ones guard up and limit any losses to an affordable minimum.
What mart says about a contract on ebay is true but at a $35 selling price and a value of $200-300, filing costs would have surpassed that. We have a small claims court here that would work for that and it costs $60 to file, I believe. Not sure if you have something like that there. At 10 miles away, I probably would have had a local lawyer draft a letter explaining the legal ramifications of the seller's actions and threaten to sue for the item plus court costs (if I really wanted it that bad). If no big deal, I would have done what you did and chalked the rest up to a learning experience. I also would have put that seller's user ID in my 'blocked bidder list' on ebay, just to be safe.