item held in customs, estimated delivery date updated 3X, eBay won't let me report not received
Summary: stevescho expressed frustration over an item ordered from China with changing delivery estimates, ultimately not arriving. The last tracking update stated it was held in customs, and despite eBay updating delivery dates, the return window closed before the final estimated date. stevescho plans to dispute the charge with their credit card company. bonanza125 advised being cautious with international purchases due to such risks. Other participants, like fractien88 and avantesia, shared similar experiences, considering the delay's impact on items received before the World Cup and debating contacting their credit card companies.
Nondescript small item ordered back in June with an original estimated latest delivery date of July 13, as each delivery date approached I would get an eBay notification with a later date (the last one saying "Estimated delivery date updated to Fri, Aug 14"), and that would appear on eBay "track package". Prior to this, it was July 24 and Aug 3. Last tracking entry, of July 26 says "hold in customs", presumably the USA but who really knows. No more updates, mailman came today, and package did not. Saw a new notation on purchase history saying "return window closed August 12". And it says that if I try to report it as not received and contact the seller. Wonderful, no item, no money. So let me get this straight, I get notified by eBay that my delivery date is changed, and this doesn't change the original date of reporting it not received? (30 days past July 13). To the credit card company this goes. The shipper is something called SpeedPak, item was from China (only place item was available at the time, or Japan). Very disappointed.
avantesia
·2 weeks agoI am dealing with the same exact thing, my seller keeps saying they are trying to sort it out but it’s been 2 months now, debating if I contact my credit card company too.
fractien88
·3 weeks agoI have two packages impacted by the same fact pattern. One of them told me they heard back from Orange Connex/SpeedPak and that these holds are related to anything that came in before the World Cup - still no updates here as of today either.
stevescho
OP2 weeks agoUPDATE: credit card refunded me and closed dispute; couldn't see merchant/eBay response and neither replied to my multiple messages. Status of item sale/tracking unchanged but got my money back.
soh.maryl
·3 weeks agoExactly what happens when you open an item not received case? What message do you get? I had no idea the EDD could be continuously be advanced like that; however, have never purchased anything where customs was involved.
stevescho
OP3 weeks ago"You can't open a request for this item", then it had a reason "returns window closed August 12, 2026", which is two days BEFORE the last, latest estimated delivery date, that eBay sent me by eBay notifications. Now the reason changed to "you can't open a case because you filed a dispute with your credit card company"; at least that may be true.
grann-4629
·3 weeks agoI have had a few occasions where the EDD was changed more than once. What surprises me is that the 30 day return window does not advance to account for the delay.
stevescho
OP3 weeks agoPrior to August 12, the detailed purchase history said "your item will be delivered by August 14", then on August 13, it said "returns window closed August 12".
mudshark61369
·3 weeks ago@stevescho ,
Maybe there is a reason why the item is tied up so long in customs. If you post the ebay item number for the item we might be able to say what that might be.
stevescho
OP3 weeks ago18-14710-61535. BTW, custom holds are generally when the paperwork is incomplete or duties aren't paid (by the shipping merchant, not me). If so, CBP has already notified them. I have no access because I didn't send it. Ebay needs to figure this out, there's other transactions from China besides mine. Thus far, they've sent a form response to the credit card dispute that I should have used Ebay Buyer Protection, which they didn't let me do, and failed to post my negative feedback, so no one else will know.
bonanza125
·3 weeks agoYes you need to contact your credit card company. Yes if you purchase items internationally packages can take longer to get to you as in months. This varies due to customs. Yes I understand that you wanted this item and it was only available in China and Japan unfortunately it this day of age carriers do come across these issues internationally and it is advised to not purchase items from international locations unless you feel comfortable taking a risk the item will not show up.