[mothered]

Don't give any details you don't need to.
They don't need a tall tale about a roommate taking care of the shipment. That might bite you later if you need to adjust your methodology.

^ This.

This is a tough one...

It's a tough one because they've created It as such.

The equation Is pretty simple - If the OP doesn't receive his Item, they don't receive theirs. Whether they like It or not, that's where the claim currently stands.