VAT refund on a returned item and shipping issue
Hello, I live in Germany and have ordered something from a store based in USA, California. Due to an error in shipping it has been returned to the sender. I contacted the seller and they refunded me only part of the costs, excluding VAT and shipping. They also told me it's up to me to reclaim VAT as they supposedly never received it. Same with the shipping, I am supposed to contact the postal service and sort this out on my own. This doesn't really make sense to me. From my understanding, the company I order from takes care of taxes, they did receive the money when I paid for the Item after all. I also don't really have any business with the shipping company as I am technically not their customer.
Am I missing something here or are they trying to rip me off?