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I purchased a Top Ton PC in January of Last year from here. In early december one of the NICs stoped functioning which sort of defeated the point of having a unit with multiple nics. I reached out to the seller who was rather unhelpful, eventually giving me an address in china and the following, questionable, instructions:
what is most important, please write "PC Case" quantity “1pcs” with value 46USD on waybill and show me picture, pack with plain carton without any logo or word. that is for our customs clearance.
But no offer to cover return shipping which I'm sure will contribute to just as
Paypal wiped their hands of it because it's more than 180 days, credit card issuer wiped their hands of it because it's more than 120 days (limit for charge backs) and AliExpress just seem to offer no buyer protections. Am I correct, there is no recourse here? Has anyone had a similar experience?
I have the unit running pfSense, has anyone a suggestion for an Aus Retailer of a similar performant router?
A similar device with Australian vendor and local warranty would likely cost more than double, so I guess the lack of warranty support is just the risk of buying from China directly.
The postal instructions are so they don't have to pay import duties, and certainly point to you dealing with a very small business (i.e. somebody's bedroom).
I wouldn't be paying shipping to China, likely $40 itself, with little guarantee you will get a replacement device, and no promise of shipping. So I think you are right to just wear the loss and seek a replacement.
I don't have a recommendation. If you were otherwise happy with the Topton, you might try it again - it's likely you were unlucky to get one that got a dying nic.