China shipments taking forever!!!

[mpit7628]

Hi everyone.  It's  been awhile since I have been on here.  I have a lot of reasons to vent my problems with sellers recently but have refrained from doing so.  I have been buying and selling on eBay for quite a while but in the last year I have had more issues with sellers  than not!  Too many items arriving broken, sellers not honoring a sale etc.  

              Just recently I tried to buy a vintage Skyscraper lap from an American seller.  He was using Global Shipping.  I won the auction and paid.  Later on in the day I noticed that my money had been refunded.  I also received a message from the seller stating that when he took the lamp to UPS he thought the shipping charges of $51.00 was to expensive and decided to refund my money instead.  I mentioned to him that he had Global Shipping on the item and he said that eBay must have changed the shipping.   A few days ago I inquired about another lamp.  A Uranium electric lamp.  I am desperately looking for a Christmas present for my son.  The seller sent new pictures and was very helpful.  It didn't come with a shade and so I told the seller I would look for a shade and get back to him.  I found the shade by the next day and went back to the lamp.  The  seller  had changed the shipping for just the U.S.  Why!!  

                             My problem now is a couple of packages coming from China.  Both were purchased in October.  One on the 8th and one on the 11th.  Neither have showed up.  I am wondering why eBay gives them to the end of December to arrive.  That's almost 3 months.  At the same token eBay only gives me 30 days or so to file a item not received claim.  I can't file a claim until the end of December when that deadline date arrives which is well past the 30 days eBay gives.    Does this mean that I would have to file a claim through PayPal and why would eBay's rules for these situations  be so out of whack?  You would  think that if eBay allows upwards of 3 months  for items to be delivered, then a buyer should have just as long to file a claim should the item not arrive and not have to go through PayPay for a refund.    I am not purchasing on eBay much anymore because I have had so many problems.  Not fun when so much of my time is spent dealing with problems because of bad sellers or too long shipping times.

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

I mentioned to him that he had Global Shipping on the item and he said that eBay must have changed the shipping.

EBay has been known to opt sellers into the GSP unknowingly. They haven't been doing it much lately, but it was a dumb idea in the early days of the program, and usually foisted on new sellers.

Since the buyer pays the shipping, the idea that $50+ is "too much" would be up to the buyer to decide, but a lot of sellers panic about it anyway.

The seller had changed the shipping for just the U.S. Why!!

Frankly, I suspect he decided you would be too high-maintenance. He supplied more pictures and only then did you tell him you wanted to find a shade.

He was annoyed. Rather than blocking you personally, he blocked the entire country.

[reallynicestamps]

At the same token eBay only gives me 30 days or so to file a item not received claim.

The window for Dispute starts after Delivery OR the last estimated date for delivery.

So if your seller promised delivery by November 15, you have until December 14 to open a Dispute, and then the usual time to complete the Dispute.

I can't file a claim until the end of December when that deadline date arrives which is well past the 30 days eBay gives.

No.

If the last date for delivery is Dec. 31, you have until Jan30 to open the Dispute.

What you will miss is Feedback, which can only be left for 60 days from purchase.

But FB is not used to measure accounts. It might be read by a few future buyers.

You could leave appropriate FB today. "Ordered Oct 8 Not rec'd by Nov 25"  for example.

And you have until Dec 8 to leave that feedback.

You would think that if eBay allows upwards of 3 months for items to be delivered, then a buyer should have just as long to file a claim should the item not arrive

EBay does tell you how long delivery may take before you order.

But again, you have a month after that last estimated date to open a Dispute.

and not have to go through PayPay for a refund.

Paypal does allow 180 days from PAYMENT to open a Dispute with them, so you could open that today.