what to do if seller has not shipped after extended period

[jklangdon]

Is there a mechanism for buyers if the seller doesn't ship within a specified period of time?

I made a purchase costing several hundred dollars (overseas - North America to Italy). Used PayPal with CC. That was on Feb 20. It is now  March 1 and item has not shipped.

Item description says item is shipped within two business days. I have contacted seller after four days and asked for update on shipment. They indicated it would 'ship shortly'. That was now four day ago and nothing. Exact item and size I purchased is still listed for sale though. Item is still not marked as shipped in 'My Ebay'.

Even if they ship today it now cannot get delivered on time unless the seller decides to add to the overseas shipping cost I paid. I wanted the item I purchased for a trip I had planned and if I had my money I'd try to buy elsewhere and pay extra to get it in time.

Thoughts / ideas?

J

[mcrlmn]

Contact the seller.

Repeat your query.

The seller may have forgotten to denote the item as shipped.

[reallynicestamps]

http://resolutioncenter.ebay.ca/

Your problem is Item Not Received.

Some advice. If you need something by a specific date, buy it locally, not mail order.

Even if the seller ships instantly, the shipper/courier/ postal system* may have delays.

Normal shipping from Europe takes about 15 days, sometimes 20.

In contrast, I always allow 20 days at least for delivery from Canada or the USA.

This is because most European sellers use Air Mail shipping.

Exact item and size I purchased is still listed for sale though.

If this is a manufactured item, it exists in multiples. This is not a problem. For example, I sell vintage paperbacks and currently have multiple copies of several titles, most over 30 years old.

*And the Italian postal system is notorious for total and utter incompetence. FUBAR.

[jklangdon]

Thanks for the reply. I had considered the date and purchased (a high end motorcycle jacket) accordingly with what I thought was more than enough buffer but the delay in shipping is quickly eating into that.

My plan was to buy local however a friend informed that the same new item was on eBay from multiple European sellers at big savings compared to local prices. This was correct. Multiple sellers (Germany, Italy , UK) still have this item listed at prices considerably cheaper than local even before taxes (and more than make up for customs and duties). I'd buy from another seller and expedite shipping but I've got a chunk of change tied up here and I'm a little wary about the outcome and when I would get my money back especially if I'm away.
I'm going to contact the seller again within the next day or so and see what they say I guess.

[jklangdon]

Okay, so I contacted the seller and was very specific about asking if the item was shipped. I got some very confusing three word replies in Italian that in translation were non-nonsensical. I even went online to try and see what they said but it didn't matter. So I resent my mailing info based on my interpretation of the last message I got (of four) and I politely asked again if the item had shipped and got (loosely translated) "I have to mail". It's now 12 business days and I'm no closer. All I can do is laugh at this point. Thoughts / Suggestions? Item is not technically due until around the 20th. I guess I wait and see.