How long does a first class recorded delivery take?

So i ordered an iPhone 4s off ebay on the 26th December (Thursday) and it was dispatched on the 27th December (Friday) and the estimated date to come was today the 31st but it hasn't come. Why is this? When will it come? And what should i do if it doesn't come?

*I've ordered it with 1st Class Royal Mail and it's a recorded delivery.

If it hasn't come already it should be delivered by tonight or in the morning, it might be held up in the Christmas rush

If it is recorded, it will have a tracking number which your seller should have provided you with. You can go on the Royal Mail website, and enter the tracking number. It will then tell you where your phone is, be it out for delivery or still at the sorting office.

The post office is still delayed due to Christmas and then all the online ordering over the Christmas period.

If you want a definite time scale for delivery then you have to pay for Special Delivery and not recorded Ist Class.

If it doesn't come you report that to the seller - who should refund you your money and then make a claim for compensation from Royal Mail (that is always up to the sender, as they paid Royal Mail to deliver the package). Royal Mail does not accept that a package is lost until 21 days after it was sent.

However, it is a busy time of year, and it may just have been delayed. It wasn't sent with a guaranteed next day delivery - so might take a bit longer than usual.