I received an email from one of the folks at Imperial Boots providing me a tracking number for my order. It appears they have a new email/tracking system so hopefully communication will be better. Unfortunately the tracking number provided was a digit short and the tracking website wouldn't take it. Fortunately, my boots actually showed up the next day!
The boots appear to be well made, with good stitching, with clean cuts in the leather and no sign of sloppy gluing or the sort of things you see with cheap shoes. Had I seen these in a store at this price, I would have bought them without a thought. I ordered a size up as suggested and tried them on with a medium weight sock. They fit well, with just a little bit of room in them that I like for heavier socks, or for extra air when the weather is warm. The toe is a bit longer than I would normally like because of the upsizing, but didn't interfere with walking around the house. One note; the dye stench is strong with this one. The boots are currently sitting in my garage to off-gas and air out a bit.
Overall I'm very pleased thus far with the outcome. As a customer, I would appreciate better communication. Just getting the email with the shipping info would have been enough if it came a bit sooner. Perhaps a notice when the order moved from processing to shipping. Hopefully the new tool helps with this. Thanks Francois and team!