I finally received a response from Peak today... they say my order will "arrive soon."
Whoop di do. La di friggin da.

"Arrive soon" is a far cry from actual shipping info with a delivery ETA.

I am feeling like a real idiot for ignoring my gut feelings about sending my money directly to China, and this experience is confirming what I already feared.

While we may not be able to avoid Chinese made ARFs, at least we should consider American retailers. It may cost a bit more, but the alternative is what I am going through...