I wonder if any of these vendors realize that taking payment in full and not completing a transaction without just cause and communication opens up a non-performance suit, which can quickly snowball into a class action. Not to mention if they are paid by Paypal or CC, they can lose their payment gateway if enough non-performance cases are filed.
The sad part is once the ball is rolling (and the consumer rarely knows it is), the operation can be shut down and the owner forced into bankruptcy. At that point all who are waiting for refunds sit on a list - many times forever without remedy.
Unless you have a crystal ball or ask for a financial statement every time you want to place an order
, it comes down to luck when dealing with small to medium vendors. I hope it works out for all who got stuck in the middle of this.