Vendor communication went dark - normal?
I get the worry, but post-payment silence isn't a death sentence. A lot of vendors zip you through the order process fast while they've got questions, then get quiet once it's in the queue. Five days is short for turnaround time. If they've got solid reviews, I'd give it a bit more. My gut says they'll come through.
Honestly this is pretty typical once they've got your money. Post-payment goes dark, then out of nowhere you get tracking. I've had it happen with an otherwise legit vendor and the turnaround time ended up being a bit longer than advertised. Five days is still early, I wouldn't panic yet. Give it another week or so. If you hit two weeks with zero word, that's when I'd start worrying.
That's frustrating, but honestly not uncommon around here. I've had the same thing happen and it usually ends up fine once the vendor catches up on volume. The order status still showing "processing" is a decent sign—if they were gonna scam you, they'd likely mark it shipped and ghost entirely. Give it a few more days before I'd worry. I've had vendor communication go dead for a week+, then they pulled the trigger on shipping my order with goof stealth packaging that took ages. If it hits two weeks of radio silence, start nudging hard. Good luck.
