Returned item not packaged properly and damaged

[smfins013]

Hi all, I have an issue that I've never had to deal with before. I accepted a return on a vintage high end piece of audio gear even though the buyer waited 14 days to contact me. It was clearly stated that it was sold with no warranty and only guaranteed to work upon arrival as the item is over 10 years old.. Anyway, that's not what this question is about. When I received it, the buyer literally chunked it back in the box with no bubble wrap, and zero cushioning on the bottom top or rear. I knew there was going to be an issue as soon as i picked it up as it was clunking around inside the box. Now there are literally pieces rattling around inside of it. This piece cosrt $1,600 when new, and i sold it for $399. i had planned to have it checked when getting it back in the event that there was really an issue with it. Now it's beyond repair. I went ahead and sent the refund because the ebay person pretty much told me that they don't get involved in these sort of things? i didn't want to spend weeks stressing over it. Would it be of any help in the future if i take photos of my packaging before shipping an item? or will i just be wasting my time?  have any of ypou had a similar issue? if so, how did you deal with it? thanks for any input.