I don't want to beat this to death but I hate to give up what seems like a great deal on these speakers.

Even with the issues, it still seems like a great price. These are v2, look brand new but are a few years old so here's my estimate on worth:
M80s-$700
VP150-$300
QS8s-$300
EP500-$700

That's $2k but I have no idea so these prices may be way off.

He just raised his minimum on ebay to $1500. I asked him about that and he said he realized he was giving these away even at $1500 or even at the bin of $1750.

I'm going to look at them again on Friday if they don't sell and are still available.