Feedback is easy to scam. He could have had an associate buy one and leave positive feedback. That would be a fake buy.

As far as eBay Buyer Protection, AFAIK it basically freezes the PayPal funds the buyer uses to pay for the item until the item is confirmed as delivered or the buyer gives the seller positive feedback or 30 days passes with no complaint from the buyer--whichever comes first. If the seller pays for a tracking number with a shipping firm like UPS or FedEx and enters it through eBay/PayPal, as soon as the item is indicated as delivered PayPal will unfreeze the funds. So it is really not much protection. By the time the buyer opens the package and checks it out, it might be too late without filing a complaint that will probably take PayPal months to arbitrate. On an item that is only $49, most people probably won't even bother to file a complaint.