New rims...damaged!!

[BowTieOgre]

Well I bought a set of brand new in the box 17x8 TT2s from a guy in South Florida for a song and had him ship them to me. I didnt specify the carrier so he sent them USPS. Well they show up and one box is rattling I open it up and there are lug nuts everywhere and the rim has nicks in a dozen places.

He had opened the bag when he got them just to make sure they fit but he closed the bag and put it in a zip top bag for transport. The odd thing about the bag is it is still sealed but there is a cut almost all the way across that looks like it was done with a utility knife AND 3 of the lug nuts are missing! The seller and I are still trying to figure that one out.

Luckily we insured them for $250 a box but my preliminary conversation with the carrier and his boss (via his cell phone) makes me think they wont cover it because it sounds like a packing issue to them. Has anyone had any dealings with USPS insurance? The seller said he would buy me a replacement but I would rather the carrier pay for it than him.