I'm having seller trouble....

[Odalisque]

So, here is my story. On Aug 11th, I bought two lovely vintage hats on Etsy.com. I chose priority shipping and sent along the payment. I hadn't received them by Aug. 20th, so I sent the seller a quick message seeing if she had shipped them yet.
She apologized and explained that the post offices were shut down due to Hurricane Fay. (she lives in Florida) She said she'd ship them out once the offices re-opened. No problem.
So, September comes and goes and I still have yet to see the hats. So, I send her another message. Oct 7th. She apologizes again and explains that her associate forgot to ship out a few of the backed up orders. She said she'd ship them right out. Okay.
So, it's Oct. 25th and i still haven't received the darn hats.
Should I just wait it out?
Or should i contact her again and ask for a refund?
I don't want to be overly pushy, what with the uncontrollable events on her end. But really, how long should I wait before I call it foul?

 

[Vintage Betty]

You should have received the items by now.

You paid for goods not received, you are not being pushy.

Here's what I do in these instances: give her a short deadline and state if a tracking number via priority mail isn't received by X date (Monday by midnight) you will call your credit card company to request a credit.

No apologies.
No sympathy.
No drawn out drama, just a simple note and a thank you on the end.

While I sympathize with hurricane victims, she has ALREADY told you the items are complete and packed. Therefore, they should be mailed.

Good luck-
Vintage Betty

 

[Vintage Betty]

PS: and you should be sure to report her actions in feedback and to Etsy.

 

[Paisley]

It's been two and a half months, for goodness sake. I'd do exactly as Vintage Betty said, and I'd cc the email to Etsy.

If this were a friend returning a book, it would be forgetfulness. But a vendor accepting payment and not bothering to make the shipment sounds like fraud.

 

[Odalisque]

Thanks for all your advice.
I contacted the seller and requested a refund. I think I waited a reasonable amount of time for the hats. It's a shame that it did not work out since the hats were really cute. Oh well.