Another indeterminate shipping adventure

It might shock you to know that I put in an order for a retrocomputer earlier this month. Alas, it’s not going as well as one may hope. After saving and searching for this specific machine for months, I eventually tracked one down in serviceable condition on a US store that ran on Shopify. I prefer buying from outside the US thesedays if I can, because their shipping prices are wild. It typically costs half as much to get something from the UK, despite it being further away. But something something specific people can’t be choosers. The store’s description stated they “shipped worldwide”, which was encouraging. So on the 4th of July AEST, I bought it! I paid on the spot for the machine and shipping with tracking. I the received an automated order confirmation from Shopify, and waited. You can probably guess what happens next. Nothing. No email, no invoices, no shipping notices, no tracking numbers. Besides an estimated arrival date of today, I had no further details from the vendor…