I know this is something people will ignore, especially if they are on the waiting end, but this is how it has always been. 10 years ago multiple Chinese sellers and A's operation both were generating the same sorts of posts and worries. Sometimes people get stuff fast, sometimes slow, sometimes there is an interception, sometimes a loss in the post, sometimes someone is lying to make trouble, sometimes someone used the wrong address and got a scammer. Nothing has changed except A is the only seller left with a track record and any legitimacy. The entire increasing demand falling to that one source has increased delays and problems. There are a lot of crazy or desperate people writing them and I wouldn't be surprised if they just ignore the ones that sound like trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if some just get lost in the huge amounts of emails as well. Exit scam is always possible but I think unlikely here....and one day they WILL stop selling for whatever reason, retirement, risk, got caught etc like all the rest.
Every time someone posts something like this people say "I KNEW IT...TOTAL SCAM!"...and when someone gets theirs people say "I wish I would have ordered." Overall nothing has REALLY changed in all these years. N is not, and has never been, something you can get at the last minute or in a few days. It's always taken many weeks to months and has always been a risk. My anecdotal review of years of watching this is MOST people who ordered from legit sources over the years got theirs eventually.
If you are willing to risk it you just have to order it and wait. It doesn't matter that there SHOULD be a better way, or what theories anyone has, it matters what is....and this is what is...it's not Amazon. Personally I find the current prices criminal (hah) but it's the only game in town if you want N. I don't believe experiences like the OP's, as maddening as it is for them and I sympathize, are the norm...but they DO happen.