I don't know the guy (or you), and have never dealt with him (or you), but I don't see why you are making such a fuss when he offered to fully refund your money. It's not like those chips are so rare you will never have the opportunity to buy one again. I was also surprised by one statement you made in your post:

John was such a stand up guy he should have responded here.

I recall not too long ago some people from the Chip Talk board (and no, I don't post there, lurk there, or know any of them) accused you of not delivering on a very expensive set of chips, and then not responding to their communications. One recent poster says he never visits this board because people on this board knew and respected you. I followed the threads, but I never saw you offer any explanation on this board. I understood why you didn't want to make the issue public. However, if you didn't respond to allegations of not delivering the goods sold, why do you expect others to?

Michael Siskin