Yes, eBay are full of scams. If you can think of one way to scam people with some sort of consumer goods, chances are good that someone is using that to scam people on eBay as we speak. I usually don't buy anything that costs over $100 on eBay, and when I do, I always pay by PayPal with the funds coming out of a credit card. So if there are any disputes, my credit card company can simply issue a charge-back, where I don't loose anything from it. If you want to continue buying stuff on eBay, I'd suggest you do the same. PayPal knows that having the funds coming out of the credit card is the most secure way for us the consumer, but the least secure way for PayPal. PayPal always makes sure that's last option that you'd want to use, so you'd have to look carefully when making a purchase, the option is there, but sort of hidden. That's a whole separate issue here, has nothing to do with Klipsch, the quality of their products, and their logistics.
Yes, I'm very familiar with SVS and they used to ship through BAX Global when I bought a sub from them about 5 years ago. I now have 2 PB12/+2 from them and always recommend them whenever I get a chance. Their shipping carrier is a freight company and only deal with oversized or over weight items, but they're extremely efficient at it. The size of speakers that Klipsch sell in the Reference line, there's simply no need to use a freight company. And because SVS is relatively a mom's and pop's shop compared to Klipsch, their attention to detail and individual customer is much better than a that of a corporation.
I totally agree with you that for a $1000 speaker, the manufacture should ship the item with good packaging and it should arrive at my door step without any damage. The problem is not Klipsch or yourself, it's the middle man that handles the product throughout the entire shipping route. I've seen how UPS and FedEx guys deal with their packages on a daily basis, and trust me they don't give a rats *** about the packages.