Ok... turns out that eBay themselves actually removed the listing - but only AFTER payment had gone thru... how nice of them to do that.... apparently the seller must have somehow breached the rules of seller listings (no explanation given - copy&paste of dialogue below), yet eBay has shown no regard for the buyer and his funds. Almost like protecting the seller more than the buyer when it should be the other way around, considering payment has to be made by the buyer
before items are sent out in most instances. And eBay, who owns PayPal, knows that.
Got this weak-kneed dialogue from eBay on my eBay summary list for the item:
This listing was removed by eBay. If you already paid for the item, we recommend that you wait 10 days from the expected delivery date to see if the item arrives. If you did not pay, you are no longer obligated to pay for this item. If you have a problem with the purchase, you can
resolve the problem by filing a claim through our resolution centre.
Well, as soon as I received that, I filed a claim. I just can't help but feel the eBay themselves are more to blame than the seller, for their post-payment unwarranted meddling.