As a seller, you have to cover your butt. Do a nice write up, state its condition with clear pics that cover everything, video too of its functions & then choose the category, 'For Parts or Not Working'. This is a LEGAL category that is impervious to this type of scam. I've gotten criticism for using this category for fully working super modded grails that are worth 4 digits but once I ship it, it's yours & it WILL rock! I just don't 'F' around & go so far as to claim in the listing that in antique collecting, condition is subjective & therefore I will not take any returns, including claims of 'Not as Described'. My 100% feedback & extremely positive comments should tell you that I don't 'F' around. If I say it's RED & it works, it's RED & it works....
As a buyer, you just have to work the system & you'll get your funds back if you keep close track of your emails & nail down the details with the seller so that you can call PayPal's toll free number & talk it through with an eBay agent. Every time I got a crook who was out to scam I nailed them & got either a large partial refund & kept the item or got all of the money back, if it was a total loss & still didn't have to ship anything back, for any claim yet....It's all in how you stay on top of the seller & nail down the terms so there's no room for ambiguity or weasel words....
As soon as you get lazy about eBay, that's when you get your a$$ handed to you by a clown like good ol' Eagle-D!C&-00 who insists on robbing anybody who isn't on their toes....
Too bad you got burned. Now, go Phone PayPal & ask to speak to an eBay agent. They can read all of your emails, back & forth, & if the buyer is being a stupid crook, you'll get your cash back & buddy's gonna be pretty hurtin' if he's pullin' some obvious punk-ass stunts.
Also, I keep trying to tell people who complain about being ripped off. An un-boxing video is your best friend. It ends arguments at the post office about damage & shows the seller the condition it arrived in so no BS about, 'Hey you must of dropped it.', 'How do I know you didn't 'F' with it?', or 'It's damaged in shipping, I don't cover that.'
That's all BS & yes, the seller is on the hook for damaged shipping & has to refund you if you want to send it back, period. The post office would also love to see that video so they can determine if the package was roughly handled, punctured, crushed, etc. That is your bargaining chip. If you want to keep it for parts, you can offer to keep it & get a partial refund. I'd hold out for at least half if it's proven to be unusable on video but you think you can salvage it back to service.....
My final point about this is if a buyer opts to return an item & ships an empty box or anything like that, he/she committed mail fraud, I believe & that should sort out the shenanigans real fast when you get a real dunce on your hands.....
Cpl
owell life moves on 
