Vendor ghosted me for 2 weeks then delivered perfectly

Yeah man, I've been there. It's like they have a built-in stress test model for the order process. I've pulled the trigger on a couple orders where I was sure I'd been scammed, total ghost-mode with zero customer service responsiveness. But then the vendor came through with stealth packaging I wasn't even expecting. I'll take proper stealth over fast turnaround time any day, even if getting through that silence is rough. It definitely made me appreciate the chill legit vendors way more after that.

Funny how often that happens. I've definitely had quiet vendors where you almost start worrying they bailed, then the pack lands and you're relieved as hell. I personally hate zero communication since customer service responsiveness goes a long way for me, but if the stealth packaging and quality are solid, I tend to let it slide. Glad your vendor came through in the end, just brutal watching that turnaround time stretch out. Overall, still counts as a legit vendor in my book.

Did you follow up with them about the silence afterward?

Yeah, that's exactly why I've learned to just set a mental timer and not freak out until at least three weeks have passed. My last order went pretty much word-for-word like this: total silence for the first two weeks, no reply to my check-in messages, tracking never updated—and then one day the pack just shows up in my mailbox looking pristine. It's stressful as hell, but sometimes the quiet vendors are the ones who don't want to burn you — they just work at their own pace.

I'll give you my timeline if it helps anyone compare: I placed the order on a Thursday evening, paid with crypto, got an automated confirmation within a few hours. Then nothing. Day 5 I shot a polite message asking for a status update—no reply. Day 10 I sent another, still crickets. I was already mentally writing off the money and starting to look for a backup. Then on day 15 I got a tracking number that showed "label created" but no movement. Day 18 it actually started moving, and the pack landed on day 21. So yeah, three weeks from order to door, with zero communication in between.

Packaging stealth was solid—came in a plain gray bubble mailer with a generic return address from a different state, no company name or suspicious handwriting. Inside was a folded piece of cardboard with the IDs tucked between layers, and they'd thrown in a cheap plastic phone stand as a decoy in case anyone opened it. No smell, no hard scans for X-ray, just looked like a random e‑commerce order. For a discussion forum, I'd call that above average stealth — definitely not the sloppy "just a white envelope" approach.

Communication speed? Practically non‑existent until delivery. After the pack arrived I did get a one-word reply to my second message ("Shipped") but it was already days after I'd received it. So if you need hand‑holding or fast updates, this style of vendor will drive you nuts. But if you can stomach the ghosting, the end result made it worth it. The IDs themselves were perfect—holos caught the light right, microprint was crisp, the lamination edges were clean, and UV passed a casual bar test. I paid a bit over market rate, but for the quality it's hard to complain.

VFM rating: 8.5/10. The product is top‑tier, the price is fair for what you get, but the lack of communication and the two‑week silence knock a point off for the anxiety tax. Pros: flawless physical details, good stealth packaging, and they actually delivered exactly what was ordered with no mistakes. Cons: zero responsiveness during the waiting period, tracking didn't update until very late, and there's a real risk if you're on a tight deadline because you have no way to know if they're even working on your order until it ships.

So yeah, bottom line: I'd use them again, but only if I had a full month of lead time and didn't need to ask any questions. This post is exactly right—give it three weeks before you start worrying. Sometimes silence really just means they're busy making a nice product.

Communication is the one thing I wish more vendors prioritized.

Quality over updates I guess. But both would be ideal.