I Opened an eBay Dispute - Just to Be a Dick

The other day I ordered a lot of items on eBay...reluctantly.  I needed something.  I didn't want to pay anywhere retail, and I figured the chance that I'd have to deal with some idiot eBay seller was worth the huge savings that I'd get by shopping there.

Ordered item.  Received item in timely manner. Opened box. On top was a stack of newspapers about 1-2 inches thick, not balled up, just a stack of newspapers thrown in to fill the last 2 inches.

Two of the items had obvious damage - damage that was not described. Everything was covered in about 20 years of dust and grime. The items look like they could have been salvaged from the Got Junk trucks after a filming of an episode of Animal Hoarders. And to top it all off, the seller paid postage and printed a label for a large flat rate box, but shipped the items in a #7 priority box (which is larger, and cannot be shipped via flat rate).

Annoyed, I emailed the seller. He emails back and says that I should have read the description [I had read it] and was passive aggressive and offered no type of apology. This lot of items would retail for well over $200. I paid $30, including shipping, so it wasn't a money thing, more of a principle thing.

As I was typing, seller responded to the case. Defiant and rude. Dude, if I escalate this case, you're gonna be out of your items, the $15 I paid for the item, the $15 you paid for shipping and your eBay and Paypal fees...learn to compromise and apologize.  At least he could do is fake a bit of sincerity for the sake of customer service and to not lose $30+.

Ah, gotta love eBay.