In the future, you might want to use BUY IT NOW with immediate payment thru Paypal only. Then, someone cannot close your auction without payment. Problem with BUY IT NOW, is that there are no backup bidders, in case the high bidder fails to pay.
Only problem with BUY IT NOW with Paypal, is that international buyers are excluded. Good only in the USA.
Half.com had REAL buyers, because everyone had to sign-up with a credit card. Ebay has more payment options (cash, money orders, credit cards, paypal, personal checks), but they also have the option to not pay.