Marketplace deadline approaching before delivery?
Save the order's deadline, time zone and tracking evidence now. Request an extension through the marketplace and check that it is recorded on the order. If no extension is confirmed, use the available dispute route before the applicable cut-off rather than waiting for delivery. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to help gather supplier and shipment evidence.
Record the deadline shown on your order
Open the order details and save screenshots showing the order reference, automatic receipt confirmation countdown, dispute deadline and current status. Record the capture time and displayed time zone. Save the applicable help text and terms too. If only a countdown appears, ask support to confirm the exact expiry date, time and time zone. For listing evidence, see our guide to saving marketplace listings.
Check automatic receipt confirmation, dispute submission and any existing case response deadlines separately. Ask support what each deadline controls and whether an extension changes all of them. Set reminders before the earliest relevant cut-off and nominate someone to act if the usual buyer is unavailable. Do not manually confirm receipt while the parcel remains undelivered.
Collect evidence of the parcel's actual position
Save tracking directly from the carrier, including the latest scan, its date and the tracking reference. Ask the courier or broker to explain whether the parcel is travelling, awaiting documents, under examination or awaiting delivery after release. Request a written update tied to your shipment. Keep evidence of any paperwork or payment you have already supplied.
Use the customs document checklist to identify missing factory paperwork. HMRC allows supporting documents to be sent before a request if you expect it to ask for them; discuss this with your broker. Our clearance timings guide explains why clearance timings are not delivery deadlines. Keep the marketplace countdown under review while the broker addresses clearance.
Request an extension and verify the result
Send the request through the order's available extension function or marketplace support channel, and copy the seller within the platform. Suggested wording: ‘The parcel has not arrived. Tracking shows it is still travelling or awaiting clearance. Please extend the applicable receipt and dispute deadlines and confirm the revised expiry date, time and time zone on this order.’ Attach the shipment evidence.
Keep the request acknowledgement and seller response, then reopen the order to check the revised deadline. If the seller agrees but the order remains unchanged, ask support to confirm whether the extension is effective. Until you have clear confirmation, plan against the original cut-off. Treat ‘please wait’ as a request to wait, not evidence of an extension.
Escalate before an unextended deadline
If an extension is refused, unanswered or unclear, use the available non-delivery dispute route before the applicable submission deadline. Choose the reason that accurately describes the situation. State that the parcel is undelivered, explain the tracking status and attach the deadline screenshots, extension request and carrier or broker update. Request the remedy available under the order's terms without describing a customs delay as proof of fraud.
Save the submission confirmation and case reference, and check that the case appears in your account. If submission fails, capture the error and contact support immediately with your evidence and requested action. Keep monitoring case response deadlines. Before accepting a request to withdraw, read seller asks me to close a dispute.
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Follow through after escalation or delivery
Keep tracking and clearance work moving while the case is open. Update the case when the parcel's status changes. If it arrives, record the delivery and inspect the goods before making statements about satisfactory receipt. Describe any shortage or damage accurately and ask support how to update the case without losing the record of your original complaint.
If the cut-off has already passed, contact support immediately with the saved timeline and ask whether review or appeal is available. Ask your payment provider separately about its process, evidence and deadlines; our marketplace card dispute guide covers that route. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can help obtain supplier dispatch records and factory paperwork, while your business manages the marketplace case.
Frequently asked questions
Does a customs delay extend my marketplace deadline?
Do not assume it does. Check the order and ask support whether an extension is available. Keep working to the original cut-off until a revised deadline is clearly confirmed.
The seller told me to wait. Should I?
Ask for a recorded extension and verify the revised deadline. If none is confirmed, use the available dispute route before the applicable cut-off, with accurate evidence that the parcel remains undelivered.
What evidence should I attach to a non-delivery dispute?
Attach order deadline screenshots, carrier tracking, a shipment-specific courier or broker update, your extension request and replies. Include acknowledgements for documents or payments you have supplied.
What if automatic receipt confirmation has already happened?
Save the order status and contact support immediately. Ask what dispute, review or appeal options remain. Check payment-provider deadlines separately and do not assume the marketplace case has paused them.