I've been using eBay for a while now for RC and other stuff and have had very satisfactory experiences with eBay sellers...until recently. That experience has opened up a whole can of worms that people need to be aware of.
eBay and PayPal (which is owned by eBay) tout their Buyer Protection Plan to protect buyers from unscruplous sellers. Both eBay and PayPal say shipping can take up to 45 days, implying that you should allow 45 days before filing a complaint.
On July 16, I ordered a 650-1300mm telephoto camera lense from a highly rated eBay seller. After three weeks, the lense had not arrived so I contacted the seller through eBay. She seemed genuinely concerned and said she would put a trace on the package immediately. After a week, I had heard nothing, so I contacted the seller again asking for a status report. She said she had not heard from USPS but would advise me as soon as she heard something. Another week went by and I was about to contact the seller again when I received an email from her advising the lense had been found "in Buffalo" and that it was being returned to her for inspection. She assured me that she would ship it to me within two or three days after receiving it. Another week goes by and I email the seller for a status report. No response. I then contacted eBay immediately and was advised that the 45-day period to file a complaint had expired and, essentially, you're SOL. The automated email suggested that I contact law enforcement or my credit card company. When I responded to the email protesting that I had initiated contact with the seller within 45 days, I got another, identical, automated reply. Further attempts to contact eBay for assistance were not responded to.
I did contact my credit card company and they immediately agreed to refund my money and advised that they would open a fraud investigation.
After posting this information on the HK Discussion forum I got a response which advised that since I went outside of eBay for assistance by contacting my credit card company, they will suspend my account. This guy said I could simply open a new account with a different credit card and continue doing business with them if that's what I wanted to do. Seems odd that they tell you to contact your credit card Company then suspend your account when you do. I've also filed online complaints with the attorney general in my state along with the state consumer affairs division. I also have filed complaints with the California division of consumer affairs and they advised me to file a complaint with the California Attorny General as well. I also filed a complaint with the Department of Justice Internet Fraud division (recommended by eBay) and made the point that as far as I was concerned eBay is a party to the fraud because they are paid their commission up front and therefore profit from the fraud. We'll see how that turns out. In any case, I figure eBay will spend a lot more in time and money dealing with these formal complaints than they would have in simply reimbursing me for my loss.
So, fair warning, if you order something through eBay/PayPal, and delivery is slow, open a complaint before the 45 days expires or you, too, will be SOL.