Dealing with Gucci, non-paying bidders, and eBay

Out of the three Gucci items I recently listed on eBay, two of the buyers did not pay. There is chance, albeit a tiny one, that this post might help others avoid a similar situation, so here it is:

First, the user names:
swissluxurist (feedback: 0)
"Real" name and address, according to eBay:
Don H Downstairs (red flag)
Clinton, MD 20774
email: webmail@nlfeed.com (red flag)
The account was created two days after the auction began (red flag).

rpoe3877 (feedback: 1)
"Real" name and address, according to eBay:
Ralph Poe
Columbia, SC 29204 (rwpoe1968@gmail.com)

After sending the invoices, I received no replies. I sent the invoices again two days later. I received no response from swissluxurist -- nor did I expect to -- but I heard back from rpoe3877. He claimed he was having password problems with Paypal. I wrote back, telling him how to reset his password, and that was the last I heard from him. I opened a case for each listing. Ebay did not hear back from them within four days, so I closed the cases and they each received a nonpayment strike and I was refunded my fees.

When I tried to relist the items, a pop-up informed me that for some items (such as Gucci products), the seller has to wait for 30 days to relist them, unless the seller is pre-approved. Even though the ONLY reason I'm relisting is because of non-paying bidders. So I called and they cleared the items for relisting.

To avoid non-paying bidders, sellers have a number of options that seem to require more vigilance than I am willing to commit. I have of course blocked the offending users, but they have probably already assumed new eBay identities. I could request in the listing that potential bidders with feedback scores less than 10 contact me before bidding, and block all who don't. That does not prevent sniping, though.

The easiest solution, now that I have a rough idea what the items will sell for, is to relist the items as fixed price auctions requiring immediate payment. If the buyer cannot pay after clicking Buy It Now, the item remains listed.

I sold a pair of shoes this way. I listed them for a price that was lower than the bidding reached. The pair of boots, though, I contacted one of the bidders who asked me questions. He seemed very interested in the boots. I gave him a heads up that I was going to relist them so he could buy them immediately. I offered a discount if he wanted to do it through Paypal (bypassing eBay). He was game and it worked out well. He got a great price -- much less than the high bid -- and I am rid of the boots, did not have to pay eBay's listing or final value fees, and will never sell Gucci on ebay again.

The thing that annoyed me most is that you cannot leave negative feedback for non-paying bidders. You can only leave positive feedback or report them. Actually, no. Being informed that I had to wait 30 days to relist the items annoyed me most. Because of this experience, I will exhaust ALL other options before listing anything on eBay -- amazon, craigslist, wantaddigest, contacting previous buyers, etc. It doesn't hurt eBay (my fees are probably a few hundred dollars annually), but it gives me a little satisfaction.