After paying for an item, I got an email from eBay saying the seller is "away" for a few weeks and "there may be a delay". What can I do?

[jmflyer]

After paying for an item, I got an email from eBay saying the seller is "away" for a few weeks and "there may be a delay".

What can I do?  There was no indication of a delay at the time of sale.  I would like to cancel, get a refund, and buy the item from someone who is going to give fast service.  Since the seller is "away" I can't discuss this with them.  In such a case eBay should offer a unilateral cancellation and refund.  Is there any such procedure?

[heidilynn0_3]

Hi ..to receive that message has to be a seller's store placed on vacation.

I see an item purchased on the 2nd with store on vacation from the 9th. Is that the item. Seller has time to ship prior.

[jmflyer]

OK, false alarm, I looked extra hard at all the details and there IS in fact an indication, in the form of the brown box icon in "Purchase History", that the item has already been shipped.  The eBay "Order Details" where it says the seller is right now unavailable, does not say anything about order status, and that gave me a scare.  The only status information is the brown box icon.

[heidilynn0_3 · Accepted solution]

Brown indicates shipped.

[dmil8030]

Hello 'jmflyer',

Sellers often put their IDs 'on vacation' long before they actually leave town.  This way, they have time to package and mail everything, handle any last minute questions from buyers, and so on.

When you paid, you got a paypal receipt in your regular email which included the seller's regular email address.  If you are really in a lather and need reassurance, you can always send a note to him at that address.  But a brown envelope icon generally tells you the item is on its way.

Even if the icon was not 'lit up', the item may be on its way.  And you do have 45 days in which to file a Not Received claim if an item does not arrive.  That's more than 6 weeks.  So just because a buyer gets a 'vacation' message is no reason to file a Not Received claim just days after having bought it.

Enjoy you new item. 🙂

[scifan57]

If the item doesn't arrive,open an item not received dispute no later than day 43. You then have 20 days to escalate to a claim.