eBay seller — did everything right, both eBay and Parcelforce washing their hands of it

Shipped a golf club Parcelforce Express48 29th Dec. Delivered 2nd Feb. 35 days on a 48hr service.

eBay made me refund the buyer. Claim from Parcelforce — turns out Express48 doesn't compensate for delay, only loss. Got my £5.88 postage back, nothing for the item.

The kicker is eBay basically tells you to use tracked services to qualify for seller protection — but the services they approve don't cover delay.

What am I missing? Was there insurance - £35 item - do I just chalk it to experience?