How can I get my money owed by an online store?

An online store owes me $$ and has taken over a year to even respond to my refund issue, yet they are still giving me the runaround. I don't know how to get through to them and make them realize how important it is that I have my money during a financially stressful time. I don't want to take the jerk approach and bash them on their forum, though it looks progressive.

Would it be wise to get a 3rd party involved? like a lawyer, etc?

I would act quickly if I were you. Businesses that don't pay their bills often are just barely staying afloat. If you don't get your money before they go under you may end up SOL. If you have a lawyer get them involved. Often just a phone call from a lawyer is enough to get the ball rolling.

You might want to call in to the Clark Howard Show (Consumer Advocate on radio) or check out his site for help: clarkhoward.com

Here's a recent response to an email from this store:

'The main issue is that I dont control the funds and I catch hell when an order is cancelled. So, I've been working on this, trying to gather funds in my own paypal account.
I am working on this;'

They have delayed by using these type of 'postpone-it' responses throughout the past year. They just have a hard time following through. What would be a good way to respond to these excuses?

Maybe contact the better business bureau ?