Yes, it does get stranger the more you think about it. And the really odd thing is, if the whole thing was a hoax, how did the seller ever think s/he would be able to get away with it once a buyer received the tapes and saw that what they ended up with wasn't as described? Well, unless the eBay ID is also a hoax and s/he planned to up and disappear. Though if s/he wasn't as legit as initially appeared, that could easily explain why s/he ended the auction. Perhaps s/he never expected questions from knowledgeable people - or at least that s/he could fudge through any questions. But when faced with probing questions, s/he got cold feet.