Shoes damaged by the buyer, then returned.

[MZ3]

I sold a pair of shoes to a guy, he TOTALLY damaged the shoes and eBay said I had to return them. I got the shoes back today and it's totally obvious he damaged the shoes. Is there anything I can do about this? I'm stuck with a pair of shoes that I am going to just have to throw away.

[surplusdealdude]

Unless the shoes came with cameras, all you can realistically say is that the shoes got damaged.

They may have been delivered in a damaged state - I once had an aluminum tube get delivered squashed flat.  It happens.

I don't think you can win this - surrender gracefully and avoid the neg.

[MZ3]

The guy already left me a neutral. He admitted to me that he damaged them. He filed through eBay, when I talked to them they wouldn't listen to anything I had to say.