Hi Dave - I know the process is beyond eBay's control, I've been told that repeatedly by customer service advisors.

What I don't understand is why eBay would set up a policy which allows a third party arbitrarily take ownership of an item that a user has legitimately won, without explanation, or any mechanism by which the problem can be redressed.

I think it's just a rotten way to treat users, especially given the obfuscation of the customer services advisors. If someone had to said to me at the outset that the item now belonged to a third party, or given me contact details for the third party, or in any way told me the truth, then I'd be disappointed, certainly, but I wouldn't be as angry as I am with eBay. I don't like being given the runaround from an eBay customer services representative! I don't blame them, actually, I think it's down to the corporate culture of the organisation. Basically, I think allowing any item to be subject to a 'hostile takeover bid' by Pitney Bowes is a really, really lousy set up from a user's point of view. And although eBay can claim plausible deniability once the 'retricted' label has been applied, eBay is completely repsonisible for creating the situation in which a user can be this shoddily treated. Allowing for errors to be rectified - such as the mistake in the packaging of my item - is a matter of basic human courtesy. It amazes me that it should not also be a factor in eBay's International Shipping scheme.