@papermoon.lady (I love the username!),
The problem with chat is the quality of the information.
The eBay CS reps really aren't well-informed unless the issue is straightforward and solvable by following their scripts. Most enquiries to CS are based on, really, just a handful of scenarios. Anything outside that script, or requiring initiative or specialist information or experience or higher authority, isn't properly addressed.
There seem to be better CS reps available in the "Have us call you" option. If one asks to speak to a supervisor (if the problem or issue isn't resolved), the supervisor may have better information, but it's more likely rather that the supervisor simply has a little more authority and can override some of the bot-made decisions. (But in reality, eBay CS aren't well-paid super-players on eBay's field. There's a reason why CS is outsourced and it all comes down to how little can one get away with paying employees...)
Email is the worst option of all. That's because emails to eBay are responded to solely on the basis of chatbot logic. The bot analyses the email you send, and on the basis of pre-written routines will generate a reply. No human will see that initial email. The process takes a few days; it's debatable about whether that is because of the processing time to do this, or whether it's a deliberate strategy to slow down responses in order to discourage customers and lengthen the process of communication. (Customer service with many companies like eBay is designed to DISSUADE customers from a complaint or an enquiry; if customers simply followed the automatic processes and didn't need any hand-holding or communication or want to speak personally to anyone, eBay would be utterly delighted!)
The resulting email can be and often is ridiculously inappropriate. Many times it seems as if it's written by someone who completely misread what one's email said, and it has people wondering bemusedly how on earth it was possible that the point of the email seems to have been missed so badly. So then one would reply to the reply, just to clarify again what the original email was about. The second reply might be quite similar in missing the point (but having another stab at it and quoting more policy in the hopes that it will make the emailer give up and go away); it's the bot again, with another bout of chatbot logic. By this time more than a week (closer to two weeks) will have gone by. Another response with the sender getting exasperated might (I say, might) result in an actual human looking at the email, and replying.
But don't hold your breath.
