I have bought a lot of cards on eBay and it's almost always a positive experience. There are lots of ways to mail trading cards and I have seen some sketchy packaging, but the cards are usually ok.
This past week I got a cheap (<$20 after shipping) lot of cards, and the package arrived literally falling apart. It was a thin cardbord box with a few pieces of tape holding it together, and inside the cards were sealed in an airtight bag. The cards inside were more bent than any other cards I've received. They also had water damage despite being in the airtight bag.
I didn't want to immediately leave bad feedback or even try to return them. It's busy season at work and not worth the hassle for such a small amount of money. I sent a message to the seller with pictures of the damaged package and cards, only saying "Hi, the cards arrived today. The box was a mess and all the cards are super damaged. It looks like water damage to a bunch of them too."
The seller's only response was to contact eBay directly. I couldn't figure out any way other than a refund request, and the website specifically said "this seller doesn't accept returns." I included more pictures/angles of the damaged package and cards, and a message "The package arrived in terrible condition. The auction described the cards as well-loved and in great condition, but the cards were extremely bent and many had long term water damage. The bag was air tight sealed, so the water damage was pre-existing. Bending and other wear could be pre-existing or from shipping."
The seller's response in the refund request was to reiterate that they don't do refunds or exchanges, that well loved means used, and that they're sorry but they can't help what the post office does.
Again, it's busy season at work and its a small amount of money, so I just said I don't want to argue over $20 and cancelled the request. At this point is seemed justified to leave a bad review, since I had a bad experience with 1) the condition of the cards (pre-existing water damage) 2) the shipping (very light packaging that didn't survive the journey) and 3) the behavior of the seller (I even tried to just talk to them before doing anything that affects their record).
In retaliation, the seller left me a very negative "sellers beware" positive review for me. I was reading up on it, and I guess this is very much against eBay's rules and I could report them to have it removed.
My question here is, should I bother doing that? I guess it's not a big deal since I typically don't use "Offers" when buying. Maybe it would hurt me if I ever try selling. And I feel bad if I not only tank their rating but also get them directly in trouble with eBay. Not sure if I am being the bad person here.
