Chinese sellers ship for ''free" because China Post heavily subsidizes postage, especially for overseas shipments. This is a problem for the Universal Postal Union, to which both Canada and China belong, to solve, since it costs the other treaty members money.
but ebay and paypal wouldnt do anything for 45days
Well, that's just completely wrong.
Paypal and eBay will not mediate a dispute after 45 days. You must open a Dispute before Day 45 from purchase.
It will take between 20 and 30 days for an item to arrive from Asia, although Air Mail and good luck can speed this up.
If an item has not arrived after 20 days, it is useful to Contact the Seller (there is a link on every listing) and ask for shipping date, shipping service and Delivery Confirmation /tracking number. There is not likely to be a DC number, but that is not your problem. Don't worry about it.
If the seller does not reply or offers a replacement but not a refund, start an Item Not Recieved Dispute. Do this before Day 42, to allow for time zones.
Since you totally misunderstood the process, your only hope is that you paid by a credit card with Paypal as the processor. If you were, you can phone the 1-800 customer service number on the card and ask about a chargeback. Have your dates, prices and transaction numbers handy for the clerk. Don't whine on about how hard done by you were. She doesn't care and if you annoy her too much you may lose that dispute too.
