Well i could try logging in with my 12 word passphrase and change it from testnet to mainnet to see if my shift would appear?
Yes I think it would if I am understanding your problem correctly.
Or should i wait to see what others in the shift thread say about this before i do it?
You can try without asking them. You wouldn't lose any coins by changing network to check your coins.
Also in general what happens if an exchange sends coins to a testnet?
That is very unlikely. But if they happen to do so then that is the fault of the exchange.
Also is it 100% i created my account on testnet? That is what im not sure because i was positive i did not change any settings before i clicked on new account..if i did... it was by accident.
Your address creation is unrelated with network. If you can provide your adderss maybe we can check for you.
Or there is
another alternative,
You can use this shift web wallet:
https://wallet.shiftnrg.org to check your balance. I am sure it is connected to main net since it doesn't allows you to change network. (Hope I have picked the web wallet of right coin).
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Interesting and new to read.