Interesting. I emailed the seller early on to ask questions...
He responded saying that he was offered $950 to stop the auction early but he wanted to give everyone a chance. I responded by saying, "take the $950, I don't think you can do better."
Maybe, just maybe, the seller is a cheat. And the convenient "I'll be out of town" line is a phony alibi to cheat up the price. <shrug>
Randog