i did something similar with an ebay sale. i sent a money order to an out of state seller and the communications stopped altogether. email after email after email and no response. well i lived in that town when i was younger and got an old friend to help me find a lawyer there. then i emailed the 'seller' again, used the local atty's info as the person i would use to prosecute him from out of state. it worked, i got my engine.