71produster, yes, the seller will have to file the claim. The only time they will talk to you is to get your side of the story but they will not let you know the outcome. Only the seller will be told. It sounds like the seller does not want to get involved so take that with a grain of salt. Hopefully, he is willing to work with you on this.
Usually, UPS will want to pick up the boxing and the item to inspect it. They will, as an option, do this via email. They will send you a form that requires at least six pictures be emailed back to them (including: the damaged item, the damaged item place in the box, all packaging materials, the shipping label, the UPC(?) code which shows the box's capacity and burst rate and two photos showing the top,bottom and all sides of the box). Believe me, it was a PITA but I just went through it.
If you ned any additional info, let me know.