Hi
Seems i may have got some joy after emailing this person again today to let him know that i intend to make a complaint to ebay and Paypal, he as answered and said he will refund my money but will not pay for the postage which is what i asked for in the first place.
I got the answer when i said i had packed it safely and that it would be in the post in the morning, in caps (LETS HOPE IN ARRIVES COMPLETE AND NOT BROKEN THEN, AS YOU WOULD BE THE FIRST TO COMPLAIN HAD IT ARRIVED TO YOU BROKEN) at this i informed him that i had taken photo's of the vase being packed in different stages and that i was posting it so it was tracked and needed to be signed for.
Hopefully this will then put an end to this sorry story, many thanks for all your help, Pip your offer was very nice and much appreciated,i was overwhelmed with the advice you all gave.
Cheers
Steve.