I'm not sure what the problem with the buyer's request is. If you suspect some sort of chicanery, I don't find it in asking for a shipment delay.
Anecdotally, I - just for example - ordered Magnepan LRS speakers a couple of months ago directly from the company. The delay in shipping was seemingly interminable (a perception likely due to the fact that, because I was anxious to receive them and the company was backlogged with orders, I found very long) and eventually, it looked like the plan was to ship while I was away. To prevent any problems, I simply wrote to the company and asked them to delay shipment until my return. As a result, they arrived when I was home to receive them.
Keith