OP, this sounds like a courier problem, not a seller problem. If the seller has despatched the goods (received by postal service / courier), they’ve done what they should have done.

Nonetheless, you are still covered by eBay’s MBG, if the goods don’t arrive by the latest Estimated Delivery Date (shown in your purchase history). The refund case can be opened up to 30 days from the date of the latest EDD.

I buy from all over the world; there’s usually tracking but perhaps 5% at most will only have one tracking event and then nothing until it arrives … or the opposite, where there is notification of everything along the way, including “out for delivery”, but no “delivered” scan. It can amuse me to look through the AP app and see things from months ago still apparently roaming around in Neverland.

I buy lots of things from lots of countries, and this would not be unusual for me.  I have had many items turn up that have NEVER been marked as sent.  Some postal workers and couriers are very lazy and don't scan or update things.  More importantly is the estimated delivery date.  I would wait for that to pass and then you have 30 days to claim "item not received" 

I wouldn't say it is the new normal at all.

I don't buy that much on ebay either but all my purchases over the last year have been fine. Good items, arrived in good time.

Delays can happen. I will give an item a little bit extra time to arrive, maybe a week, but to be perfectly honest, if something was delayed too far past that, then I'd just open an ebay claim.

You do have to be cautious about which sellers you buy from too, that's for sure.

You, as the buyer, have all the power.

If you don't get your item/s, you open a not received case. Not hard. As you surely know, given you claim to have already opened one on one of the items.