Can any of you point me in the way of reputable btc sellers so this doesn't happen again?
Unfortunately, it's quite hard to find honest, reputable traders on forums like this. I understand the vig can be prohibitively expensive on LBC, depending on the method you use to pay, but I find that they really are one of the best sources for buying bitcoin P2P.
Ever since Circle closed down, I find that buying bitcoin directly from bitcoin ATMs is the safest and most secure way of acquiring large amounts of bitcoin. Google search and find one near you.
That being said, if you absolutely must have the bitcoin ASAP, and are forced to do a P2P trade, for your own safety
ALWAYS INSIST ON USING A REPUTABLE AND TRUSTED ESCROW THAT BOTH PARTIES AGREE UPON. Usually, this one small measure is enough to deter a lot of preventable scams from happening.
Sorry for your loss.