I think that as far as RIM are concerned, that device's PIN is associated with the carrier the BB was on in the US. The lower case edge means it's talking to the TM-D network, but won't talk to the European BIS.
If the change device action on TM-D's BIS works, that may solve your problem - but my guess is it will say the device is already in use by another operator or simply not recognised.
IF that's the case you need to try and contact the Ebay seller and find out what network it was on, and ask if they can contact that nework and get them to 'release' the device PIN. Maybe TM-D can help too. Basically, you need to get the PIN 'assigned' to TM-D. Devices that are unlocked when sold don't have this problem. But ones sold through operators used to at least, I think. You can also get 'piggy back' SIMs these days that fool locked phones into thinking they're unlocked. Some seem to do this by making the phone think it's roaming (even though its not). This MIGHT solve the problem too. I'm not sure. Might be worth a try for $9!!
DealExtreme: $8.77 New i-SmartSim 2008 Operator Network SIM Card Unlock Attachment