There needs to be a limit on the amount of "extended handling time" allowed to a seller.Here is an example: I recently bought a $2.00 item from China that, despite its low cost, I needed. After waiting the entire 2-month shipping window, the item did not arrive, so I got a refund and no item, and thus had to go looking for what I needed all over again. Multiply this by several hundred, and you have an interest-free loan to a seller. Further add in the trouble I went to daily, trying to track my item, for 2 months. I currently have some phone batteries coming from China with an over-2 months "extended handling time." Since it has already been 1 month, I don't ever expect to receive them, but the seller has gotten a $7 loan from me for over 2 months, interest-free. Multiply this by a thousand, and you can see the logic. It reduces my trust in Ebay, especially regarding Chinese sellers, who often can ship an item to the West Coast in around a week. It is only the recent arrival of this nefarious technique that has soured me on Chinese sellers. Why does Ebay allow ridiculous handling times, without repurcussions to the sellers? Overseas sellers should be allowed an occasional delay, but If the average handling time is also ridiculous, they should be held responsible, as there is no legitimate reason for the wait.
