Purchase on Audiogon arrived not as described

I have been on both sides of this issue.  I bought a subwoofer that was shoddily packed and arrived damaged and unusable.  The seller claimed that I was responsible for getting money from UPS, not him.  I fully documented the unpacking and the damage and opened a dispute.  Although PayPal initially denied my claim (!), I continued to push them with more pictures and they ruled in my favor.  The whole process did not take more than a month.

On the other side, I sold a sub, and had it professionally packed by the company that I have always used in the past.  They apparently did a lousy job and it arrived working fine but with some very minor cosmetic damage to one corner.  I had insured it for full value with Fed-X, and spoke with the buyer about what he would like to do.  I offered to have fed-x pick it up, or leave it with him and give him the money that I got from Fed-X.  Since the sub worked and the damage was minor, he kept it and I got almost all of the money from Fed-X and sent it to him.  So he got the sub for about $50 or so and was happy with how it worked out.  It was unfortunate that it wasn't packed properly, but it all worked out.  When things go wrong, the key is communication.  I think that regardless of what side you are on, talking it out reassures everyone that things will be made right.  But one thing that people must understand is that the seller is responsible for getting the equipment to the buyer in working order.  The seller is responsible for getting it packed properly, and the seller must insure it for its real value or pay the consequences.  When things go wrong, the seller must step up.

Give Paypal some more time to resolve your dispute, but don’t let more than 30 days pass before filling a claim with the CC company. Either way, I believe you will ultimately get your money back. I had to file a CC dispute against Home Depot last summer. The CC company immediately credited my account for the transaction sum and told me I wouldn’t be charged any interest while they were conducting their investigation. Ultimately they decided in my favor but it took a few months. 
 

Last resort would be taking the seller to small claims court but I highly doubt it will get to that point. 
 

Sorry that happened to you, I’ve been there, once it was a seller who actually had 100% positive feedback on the “other” Audio site. The guy sent me the completely wrong preamp and despite that, i still lost about $40 in return shipping cost. Unfortunately, this is the risk we take these days in order to avoid paying retail prices and taking a bath if we subsequently decide to sell the item. And it has gotten much worse post-Covid, with all the noobs to the hobby. 

I went through an identical transaction as OP. I filed a PayPal claim and it took 3 months for PayPal to rule in my favor. I was required by PayPal to obtain a repair estimate from a third party service center. 
 

filing a claim with UPS was fruitless as the seller failed to pack the item in accordance with UPS’s guidelines. UPS only honors such damage claims if the item was insured and met its packing guidelines. 
 

Paypal customer service was frustrating to deal with as each time I talked to an agent about the status of my case I would get a different answer. 
 

OP should send copious pictures of the damaged speakers, get a repair estimate, and send the shipping services packing guidelines. Then wait and be patient. 

Audiogon won’t do anything either, I’ve had similar situations where they only side with what the PayPal dispute results are.

This is an excellent thread. So, it reveals a possible reality of trying to save a few bucks… what is the aggregation of hours fighting if something goes wrong? 
 

Personally, I came up with a guideline for myself… “don’t buy something on line from third party that I can’t just write off as a stupid move without feeling bad or financial consequence. 
 

For any significant audio purchase, dealers / visa only. Something goes wrong, I want one phone call or email to have it fixed. Life is too short. So, Echo (Portland), or Upscale, or Pearl Audio (Portland) are folks I trust. They will make it right in one phone call. The $2 dropper bottles from China… they arrive broken… I toss them in the garbage and order from someone else. 
 

But that is me. My approach to life. Others have different approaches.