Well, with PP it's a step-by-step process. Sort of like arbitration with a drunk and reckless arbitrator. ;)
If you haven't done so already, I'd file a dispute now. Everything you do from there on out, including all communications, are on the record and PP can review all of it. You don't have to file a claim yet. As I see it, at this point, that's a "no harm, no foul" type of situation.
As for filing a claim, my personal policy is to go with my gut. There are some vendors that I trust. Back when I ordered a lot from DX, I would trust their word and they would trust me, well, to some extent, obviously. I didn't have to jump through some hoops when things went wrong and if the people I knew there told me they'd make things right, I knew they would. There are a couple of eBay sellers that I trust as well (365digital being one: a while ago I ordered a flashlight and after a month, I basically paged them with a polite "soooooo... what's up"; they offered to re-send since this was meant to be a gift and trusted me to pay for the 2nd light, which I did of course). If some guy I had no prior relationship with and that nobody I trust had vouched for, told me "your light is in the mail", I'd consider it the same as "your check is in the mail" and act accordingly.
Just got an email from OSE Holdings (1stopledshop) saying my order status had been changed to "canceled" about an hour afterI started PayPal dispute. Seems it would be hard to cancel an order shipped 4 weeks ago. I believe Al has been playing with our money. Sure doesn't look like he's been shipping lights.
Now I get a message from PayPal that Al is saying "there was no cancellation, we had some problems with a freight co. (Chinese Post office?) and everything is being resolved, tracking #s will ensue, etc. Hope so...
5 minutes after I opened the dispute, I received two e-mails saying my order status has changed to cancelled. So, they cancelled the order he said was already shipped on 11-8-11?
Escalated my dispute to a claim because my order that was "shipped 11-8-11" was canceled yesterday. I then received another status change to "canceled" one minute after I logged off Paypal updating to claim tonight.
I seem to recall that someone, I think it was gorann, who said he was going to order 10 of them and then said he had actually ordered 5. I hope for his sake that he is aware of the current status and is taking appropriate action promptly.
I've never had a PayPal dispute before, sure hope I get my money back. That new Ultrafire SC600 copy is looking mighty good for a couple dollars more. Will have to wait for money back on this, however.
That's part of why I've reacted so strongly. I asked him twice for a tracking number or some evidence of shipment and received no reply. The final straw however, was having an order canceled that he previously said had already shipped. Had that not happened, I would have left it at dispute for a while. As far as I'm concerned, the only order capable of being canceled is one that has not shipped.
Also; all of my dialog with Paypal has included references about other BLF members still waiting on their lights from this seller.
Well, this is the first time I've taken this kind of action with a seller. It's not that I don't sometimes get a flawed light, it's just usually not serious enough to go through the hassle. Someting like this however . . . he said he shipped all of you guy's lights on or about 11-14-11 but that mine was shipped 11-8-11. Now, every time somebody opens a dispute, their order gets canceled? Why would a seller cancel an order they already shipped? It's not like they can go to the post office and take it back. It's canceled because it has not shipped.