Hi, I've been commissioning art from the furry fandom for over 15 years and this is my first big dispute with an artist and I have no idea how to navigate this situation, so I'm praying y'all can help me.
In June of 2021 I commissioned this artist for a full 2 character piece and everything went fine. In fact, it went so amazing that in July of 2021 I returned to commission them for a second piece of the same characters, this time tipping them even more than I did for round one, as I fully anticipated the same fast turnaround and fantastic work I had received in June. This second commission I paid around 135$ for. This was A LOT for me to spend on a single purchase, but I assumed I was going to get a great piece and great service, so I was happy to pay this.
As you probably suspect, that's not what I got.
Since that July of 2021 I have received NO communication from the artist, no updates, no explanations as to why it's been a year and a half and I still do not have so much as a sketch, no nothing. I recently contacted them on tumblr (where I commissioned piece 1) and asked what's up. Specifically, I asked if there is a timeline for when I could expect my piece and that, if they no longer wish to work on it, if I could have a refund. Ideally, I would rather be updated and wait for my piece. I genuinely adore their work, and the first picture they drew me is one of my top three favorites of my OCs. However, they continue to ghost all of my messages despite being active on all sites. I'm not even asking for proof that it's been worked on, simply reassurance that it has not been forgotten and will be worked on in a timely manner. I will admit, I should have attempted contacting them long before this, but because I did know they were going through some stuff (moved, caught COVID19, death of pet) I didn't want to be a pest by bothering them. I'm profoundly disabled irl, so I know how hard life is and I was scared of being accidentally cruel to someone who might also be suffering. Their service for round one was amazing, so I mistakenly believed I could trust them. Instead, I am left feeling like my kindness and patience have been exploited.
How long should I wait for them to (hopefully) stop ghosting before resorting to a PayPal dispute? Is there even still a window for me to open a dispute? Help!