I have to tell you that those sets have the flimsiest cabinets around, very thin Aluminum all around.
I've had two shipped to me without major incident but the last one arrived with the bottom banged in where it had been dropped on the feet, It was easy enough to take it apart and knock it back out but when you have all the guts removed it's just a thin aluminum shell with no strength at all. Also the safety screen is real glass.
What I would do is ask the seller to drop the set off at a UPS Store and have them pack and ship it, at least that way you can call the store and explain to them in detail how you want it packed and pay them over the phone by credit card. It will cost more but it's better than getting a busted set which will almost certainly be the result if this reluctant seller packs it.
Here's one of mine, I sold the other one because I couldn't find a good CRT for it (yes I told the buyer about the CRT)
