Yeah, unfortunally he requires payment in 
advance, probably to make sure he doesn't get 
stuck with an obligation to pay the seller if the 
person ordering backs out.

However, since payment is made and refunded via 
PayPal, it's not like you're parted with your 
money for a long time if the auction isn't won.

It felt weird to send the payment in advance, but 
he returned it within minutes of losing the 
auction, so it's really not a big deal.