there is a mr. wavez on here, i believe he's based outta texas as well. can't say if their the same person since i have no real proof though.
that said, it's punk move on the sellers part. i guarantee you he would be hounding you for the bread if the shoes went for more then he'd like.
the same way a bid is a contract in the sellers eyes when they get what they want to get, it should be a contract when they take a L as well. the seller was too cheap to place a reserve on the auction and that's his fault for being cheap and not paying the extra 20 cents or so.
if i were you, i would report him to ebay, make sure he gets hit with final value fees on this auction, leave a nasty negative feedback to ruin his rep, and bid on the relisted item every time he relists them for pulling that stunt.