Mike,
I have had similar experiences in the past five years dealing on eBay. Almost all of these transactions finally ended up finalized to both my and the buyers satisfaction. There are many people who simply do not either have the time or prefer not to place priority on attending to their eBay transactions. You have been very persistent and I am sure with time and patience this transaction will eventually get resolved...Keep in mind that there are many people using eBay who do not fully understand how to use it properly. Just the fact that the seller finally responded is a good sign that resolution is possible.