If a buyer asks for more time because he/she is sending you an item from over seas, should you allow

[vancebruce]

If a seller asks for more time because he/she is sending you an item from over seas, should you allow more time and risk missing out on the 45 day deadline to post a dispute in the Resolution Centre?  It seems that sellers from over seas keep asking for more time but then the 45 day window is closed and neither ebay nor paypal want to help out.  What is one to do?

[femmefan1946]

No.

The seller as part of the transaction has agreed to get the item to the buyer in a secure and prompt manner.

EBay allows up to 45 days for a buyer to make a claim of non-delivery.

The seller can whine all he wants, but he still has to meet that deadline.

If your item has not arrived after 42 days, start the claim. Either Murphy's Law will kick in and the item will show up in your mailbox the next morning or Paypal will refund you and go after the seller for the money.

If you back your Paypal account with a credit card, and miss the PP deadline, you can try the card's Chargeback system. Those tend to have longer deadlines. But go to PP first since they were more directly involved.  The card will want much the same information as PP, date of transaction, total of purchase including shipping, and Confirmation of Delivery numbers, etc. Have those handy for the customer service clerk.

[marnotom!]

Also keep in mind that there's two stages to the PayPal buyer protection process.

When you first file with PayPal, you'll be filing a dispute for non-delivery.  You have up to twenty days--almost three weeks!--after filing a dispute to escalate the dispute to an actual claim.  That's the "extra time" your seller wants for the item to arrive.

When you add the two stages together, that makes over nine weeks for an item to arrive before the claim process actually kicks in.

There's no reason for you to wait to file.  Just reassure your seller that you'll pay them again in the event that the item arrives in the condition promised should it show up after a refund is given.

Where's your seller based, anyway?

[pierrelebel]

"If a seller asks for more time because he/she is sending you an item from over seas, should you allow more time"

No.

File the claim for non-receipt well before the 45 day deadline.  You can always repay the seller if and when the parcel eventually arrives.