Are There Alternative Ways To Review A Seller?

[pk232]

Last September I placed an order from a seller in China with delivery date near the end of November.  When it didn’t arrive I contacted the seller and after a bit of correspondence he agreed to send the item again.  He only asked that I not file anything with ebay as that would hurt his rating.   I agreed and he said he sent the item. The item still has not arrived and I have been in contact with him several times during the past week.  I now think the item will never arrive.  I have skipped a lot of the details for brevity’s sake but that is the crux of it.  Currently he keeps ignoring my requests for a refund and instead keeps asking for me to be patient.    I think over 5 months is patience enough.

I know I was a complete idiot for trusting the seller and not filing immediately with ebay, but I have never had such a problem in the past.  Lesson learned and it will not happen again.   I also know the money is gone and such is life.   It was only for $10 and I can live with that.

What really bothers me however is that apparently there is now no way I can leave a review or otherwise document my experience to warn others on ebay about this particular seller.  Are there any other non ebay alternatives?  A review on ebay would certainly be preferable, but apparently that ship has sailed.

[rebell45]

If you used PayPal or a credit card you may still have time to file a dispute or charge back. They usually give you 6 months. I'd try them to get your money back. Other than that all you can do is report him to eBay using the Report Seller feature. Highly unlikely that it will do any good though, as eBay bends over backwards for their prized Chinese sellers.

[lightlily_arts]

Unfortunately that feedback window closes in 60 days.  Never allow one of these sellers to string you along by offering an replacement.  Instead tell them to refund your money and you can just purchase another if you still want the item.  Meanwhile if you use PayPal  or a Credit Card get that claim started now.

[johnny8174]

Rant on social media

[lightlily_arts]

I noticed last year these Chinese sellers were extending their delivery times past 60 days so now I have stopped purchasing from them.   Purchases I made in Mid October that didn't arrive until  January.  Also I had a problem with one of my sellers, and I just hate the nonsense they put you through to get a refund.  I already knew they were never going to pay for the return shipping label on low value items.  Just maddening when they try offering a couple of bucks to keep the useless junk they sent you.

[pk232]

Thanks to lightlily_arts, and particularly rebell45, for their helpful comments.  It was paid for with a credit card and I will call the issuer on Monday and see what can be done.  The worst they can do is say is sorry, we cannot help you.   In regard to refund now and reorder instead of replacement, that is certainly great advice and that will certainly be my policy in the future.  

As for "...using...the Report Seller feature", every place I found to report a seller on ebay needed you to select the item in question or enter the item number.   Unfortunately the item is not offered as a choice and entering the item number results in an item not found.   Thanks again to both of you for your suggestions.