TOTAL SCAM!
And I know it pisses one off to have their auction tied up by this creep.
It takes time to get your fee's back from ebay. Sometimes I think ebay LIKES this.
It is no loss to them, they get fee's and you get screwed.
Ebay can and should do whatever to stop this kind of scamming, but they just let it happen over and over. Especially on computer items.
Even though you state US SHIPPING ONLY, these creeps still buy your item.
What YOU can do, via ebay, is change your options in your sellers account.
Go to ebays forum help and ask exactly how, they will always help. "They" being other ebay members, sadly not so much ebay themselves. But the other members will help.
For one, you can require the person have a paypal account. You can also require they pay with paypal immediately after the auction. You can ALSO (in your ebay sellers profile acct). you can set up BLOCKS. So people not registered in the US can not even bid in the first place. people without a valid paypal acct can not even bid in the second place. And new ebayers with zero or neg feedback can also be blocked from even being able to bid (I think thats right?).
But I sell a lot of computer stuff too and have had a nightmare with ebay scamming. So after I set up the BLOCKS and RULES in my ebay acct, it cut down scams A LOT!!!
Sure, it may block some valid ebayers too, but I guess thats the price to protect yourself.
Also make sure the paypal buyer has a paypal confirmed mailing address. When they pay you thru paypal, your notice email will state the address is, or is not confirmed.
I believe what these non US scammers do is pay you with fake or stolen credit cards. So at some point, you will eat it and take the loss. Or, they TRICK you into thinking you were paid. Also, now some scammers are actually figuring out how to make fake paypal accounts and use them, so beware!!!
Ebay could do a lot more to just stop this S*IT, but they wont. Very very strange. And it makes you wonder whats really going on here.
Good luck and watch your back side when doing ebay. Visit their forums for help, too.
Oh, I have to add. My sister was selling a laptop on ebay a year or two ago. So this guy from Africa BUYS IT NOW, and emails her he wants to send her a money order for $600,000. Have her deposit it, deduct her laptop payment and a generous fee, then send the difference in CASH to his mother in Nigeria. We laughed so hard I almost dropped my mouse.