Just a few additional concerns, some of which have been partially brought up by others on this thread:
(1) You had this item (a book of Duran Duran photographs from the 1983/1984 tour) listed as an auction item, and the only bid that you had received was for $2.00, plus $3.50 shipping. While I am unaware of a huge upsurge of interest in Duran Duran, in the future you may wish to use auction listings on eBay for only items which are very, very, very "hot" at this time, or for items which you may have received for free, or that have absolutely NO value to you. This book may have done better as a 30-day "Buy It Now" item. As it is, your profit (if any) was very likely painfully low (what with eBay's final value fees on auction items, plus PayPal's bite of the apple as well). In your case, the buyer's negative (and eBay's resulting punishment on your account) was simply adding insult to injury.
(2) You left the "Condition" box empty. For many buyers, that is an instant turn-off, as they may consider those who skip over that box as being either lazy, incompetent or uncaring. Since you are a newbie, we'll cut you some slack. The conditions which eBay supplies to books (as well as many other items), are "Brand New," "Like New," Very Good," "Good", and "Acceptable." And, before you decide what YOU believe the condition of an item to be, it is critical on eBay that a seller understand what eBay's bizarre grading system actually defines -- eBay is very clear about what each grade means (on eBay), even though most sellers of collectibles and antiquarian materials would seriously argue that eBay's grading system is absurd. So, before you fill in YOUR grade, make sure it matches the eBay grade. The main point, however, is to add SOMETHING in the "Condition" box -- don't leave it blank!
(3) Your description of "normal wear and tear" may have singular meaning to you, but may be entirely inadequate for somebody else -- the word "normal" is just too loosely subjective, and open to error (as well as to negative feedback). While some of my poorer items may have a description of "typical condition for a {fill in the blank} of the 1950s," I make an effort to tell the buyer exactly what I mean by "typical": "worn & chipped edges & corners; scratches, indentations, rub-wear & soiling; folds, tears, creases, browning, moisture stains, tape on spine, hole in front lower gutter; inked writing on front right inside cover; underlining, highlighting, and marginalia; etc." These are just a few general defects -- choose the ones that are appropriate -- and be specific about major defects. Had you measured the folds (and enumerated how many there actually were) perhaps the buyer would have cut you some slack.
(4) Which raises the issue of the buyer: did the buyer ask you about the condition while the auction was still in progress, or after the buyer had made the purchase? If you had sent the buyer the photo of the page folds BEFORE the buyer made the purchase, you MAY be able to have eBay remove the negative feedback, and also remove the eBay selling restrictions on your account, since you may have proof that you made the buyer AWARE of the folds BEFORE the purchase, but the buyer made the purchase ANYWAY. I've had this happen a few times; and, when I've contacted eBay, the Customer Service rep with whom I've talked has examined the email record, and has found that the buyer was aware of conditions BEFORE the purchase, and thus had NO cause to leave a negative -- and eBay removed the negative.
At the top of this screen is a "Help & Contact" icon. Click on that icon to get the phone number to appeal your case to eBay. Make your call BEFORE 10:00 AM Pacific Time, so that you can speak to a CS Rep in the United States (otherwise you'll be dealing with one of the CS reps in the Philippines, who are next to worthless). When you click into the "Help & Contact" screen, if you can't find a subject that matches your complaint, just click on ANY subject that will finally provide you with a phone number. Make the phone call, explain that the buyer gave you a negative for folded page corners AFTER you had sent the buyer a photo of the folded page corners, and make your case.
Good luck, and let us know what happens!
