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That's great news! I'm thinking now that this is going to turn out fine. Just don't send any more iPad's to Belarus! I think you already know this though ;-)

You can't track it, it only updates the first leg of the initial drop off. Like the sort facility. after that, no updates. doesn't matter which customs form # you used.
1st class can be sent registered mail for $12. So next time, pay the $12 and i find it hard to believe your "DH" is telling the truth, the post office tries to sell you everything. If he wanted some sort of tracking, they would of said. REGISTERED or EMS

It is only updated, in-country eg in the US, after that it goes to Belarus postal system.

fingers crossed for you, and please update us either way, we need good news for 2011!!

BTW I am absolutely NOT suspicious of this post, its just forum has to be careful that scammers do not post a question to get info, but the mods allowed it and that is because they can see its genuine.

Most important thing is the health of your baby. This is just money and material items which you will recover from. Don't stress out anymore or have someone you know take over this situation. Your days should be spent eating and sleeping as well as possible and being with family.

Sucks...but it sounds like a refund is on the verge of this cliff for you.

UPDATE

Thank you to everyone who has helped me with this and provided insight.

Buyer opened a dispute and requested a full refund last week. I opened an international inquiry with the post office that indicate it's in the Belarus postal system or in customs (possibly delayed because it was marked under value). I responded explaining this and offered a full refund of shipping $55 because I feel awful it has taken this long. Previously he has demanded a full refund and explained how stupid it was to send it first class (yes I know). But today he wrote back and said that if I send him $55 shipping refund he will close the case.

I'm waiting to see if he will put this in writing in the dispute confirming it was received... or seeing if it's another angle for scamming more money. I've explained our financial situation and how losing all that money would leave us deciding between paying insurance premiums for baby on the way or buying food (which is why we were selling valuables in the first place). So I'm hoping it arrived safely and his conscience is coming through. We are now certified as therapeutic foster parents, so once we have a placement we will be able to replace some of the lost income from losing my job.

I have learned A LOT and know to not sell internationally again and only ship with tracking/insurance/confirmation. Thank you to the ebay suspension forums and everyone that has provided insight, support, suggestions, and even pointed out the mistakes - sometimes you gotta hear your own stupidity to get it to sink in. I'm 6 months along in the pregnancy today and feeling optimistic to put this behind us and look forward to the new stage in our life.

Oh and an update on the shipping...

We went back to the post office, and the same lady was working there and remembered my husband. She looked absolutely stunned and shocked we were having problems and said it should have been there within 10 days. She remembers he tried to get tracking and delivery confirmation but she reassured him it wasn't necessary. Her explanation was confusing but it made it sound like first class was the only option unless he wanted to drive around hoping for a priority box before Christmas and wait in other long lines. So I give DH a little bit of credit for trying to get delivery confirmation and tracking and being told that was impossible (he should have persisted, but at least he tried). This same lady gave me the information for the international inquiry and told me they would be able to track down exactly where it is with the customs number... she is obviously a little under-informed.

I still would try to delay him as long as possible...even a few more days might allow the package to get there.
BTW refunding $55 wouldn't allow him to scam you for any more money than you already have at risk. That would come from the total he already paid you. Make sure you do a partial refund ONLY from his original payment. Don't pay him any other way.
If he is a scammer he won't close the dispute after getting the $55 dollars partial refund. This case just doesn't seem good. If he is honest why is he asking for a refund of $55.00? Makes no sense to me...in other words he will lose almost $500.00 and not have the ipad?
Does he want you to "paypal" him $55.00 directly to his account? If so that's a big NO. He is trying to hit you up for more money...as I said ONLY refund (and I'm not saying you should) directly from his original payment.

What you need to do is propose the solution from the dispute directly. Propose a $55 partial refund to close the case. Once he clicks "agree", it's over. Don't do it any other way!!!

Just curious......

Why didn't you just return it to the store for a full refund? If it was a gift, you should of received a gift reciept, or a regular reciept in case of warranty issues. Makes more sense IMO.

It was a gift from his employer. There were a stack of at least 70 of them on the table and they handed them out to everyone. No receipt of any kind. I didn't think about returning it to the store because I didn't think they would accept it. Does apple have a good return policy? That would have made things MUUUUCH easier. Too late now though.

veggiegymrat - thank you! I have never dealt with disputes before and wasn't sure how that worked.

Gift receipts give store credit, NOT refunds.