How should a P2P exchange handle a buyer who never pays or responds?

I’d like to get some opinions from the crypto community about a P2P dispute I’m currently dealing with.

I’m a P2P seller on Poloniex. I opened an order with a buyer, but the buyer never made the payment and has been completely unresponsive since August 23, 2026.

The situation is currently:

• Buyer: no payment
• Buyer: no proof of payment
• Buyer: no response
• Seller: provided bank/account statement showing no payment was received
• Exchange support: contacted the buyer
• Result: my funds are still frozen

The exchange says that additional time may be required to verify the transaction and protect both parties.

I understand why an exchange needs to investigate disputes. But at what point does protecting the buyer/seller turn into an unreasonable delay?

If there is no payment and the buyer cannot provide proof of payment, shouldn't the order eventually be cancelled and the seller's funds released?

I've already submitted a formal complaint to Poloniex and requested escalation.

I'm interested in hearing from people who have used P2P on Binance, Bybit, OKX, Poloniex or other exchanges:

What is a reasonable amount of time for resolving a straightforward "buyer did not pay" dispute?

Have you ever had your funds frozen because of a non-responsive P2P buyer?

How was it eventually resolved?

I'm not looking to attack Poloniex or accuse anyone of wrongdoing. I'm trying to understand whether this is normal P2P dispute handling or whether I should escalate the matter further.