First of all, I agree that the shipper owes you a refund or should ship new skins. I agree he is responsible until you get the merchandise.
But, there is always another side of the story.
I shipped a ton of stuff before I sold Sipsey River. We stood behind every shipment. We offered insurance, but most people preferred that we ship without it because it was cheaper.There were some items and some locations we would refuse to ship unless insurance was included, we required it. Some customers buying these items or living in locations where we required insurance sometimes complained that they were being "gouged" on the shipping. The cost of insurance is set by USPS or UPS, not the shipper. As suggested above, any item over $50 or so should be insured, but even with insurance there are sometimes other issues. UPS sometimes refuses to pay if there is damage during shipment, they say the packaging was poor.
Insurance does not solve all problems, but it sure helps.
This is especially true when shipping to other countries. The Customs Offices of some countries slow items by Months and loose a lot of stuff. Be careful shipping to Europe.
All that said, he owes you a set of skins.