The USPS damaged a package and the items inside - what options do I have

[cinema_visions]

I shipped a package from California to New York state via USPS Media Mail, and it arrived at my customer's residence with a big crunchy bend on one edge / side.  Inside were four 1940s paper lobby card movie posters that were torn in the same spot about 3 to 4 inches.  I have been told that since the customer opened the package, the USPS no longer has to take any responsibility for the external damage to the package that effectively destroyed the value of the contents.  This is about $50 worth of poster material.  Is it basically my responsibility (per eBay rules or ethics in general) to refund the customer in full, including the $8 shipping fee he paid me even though I packaged the material quite well with 4 layers of rigid cardboard around the posters, but clearly something very heavy slammed into the package.   Suggestions for compensation from either the USPS or eBay, or am I just on the hook for this?

[albertabrightalberta]

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@buyselljack2016 wrote:

It should also be noted that the seller is charging $8 for media mail shipping - books would have to weigh over 7 pounds before I would charge that much for media mail.

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$8 is "shipping & handling" .

It takes time to order those "free supplies" to be abused.

It also takes time to cut up those abused "free supplies" to package for the abused shipping method.

Time is money.

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Funny, and not in a good way. 

[showmecurrency4u]

I sometimes sell Sheets of Currency. I ship them in tubes that you can buy online. the heavy duty are the best. they come in different sizes and lengths.  never had a problem(so far) Posters sheet of currency etc is al about the same. i usually insure if over $150.

[buyselljack2016]

Correct. It's not funny in a good way. The OP is gaming the system by abusing USPS with the "class" of shipping, and to add insult to injury is beating the USPS out of more $ with the use misuse of those boxes.

Too bad they are from such a large (population wise) area. Would be easier to catch if from "podunk", but the postal inspection service likely has bigger things to tackle anyway, like the counterfeit postage stamps.

[mam98031]

The disclaimer that appears on the USPS site when you order PM supplies is as follows.

Terms and Conditions

I understand that Priority Mail Express™, Priority Mail®, Global Express Guaranteed®, Priority Mail Express International™ and Priority Mail International® packaging is the property of the United States Postal Service and is provided solely for sending Priority Mail Express™, Priority Mail®, Global Express Guaranteed®, Priority Mail Express International™ and Priority Mail International®. Misuse may be a violation of federal law.

Then you have to accept or decline before your order will be processed.

[epowerbargains]

The OP has received some excellent and very valuable guidance in response to the question. I hope that the original poster comes back and reads, considers and implements all of the suggestions that people have taken the time to make - it will save him/her from some real eBay heart/head pain. The use/misuse of media mail is a sensitive subject for many sellers - recently I had some help getting eBay to allow educational (math) flash cards to be added as media mail eligible.  And, I doubt that the USPS intended their mailers/boxes to be used as packing material. That too....is a sensitive subject for many sellers. Postal rates are high and wasting and/or misusing resources works against all of our business interests. The OP is top rated and has good feedback - I wish the best for them on eBay and hope that they take this as a informative lesson.