I recently purchased a Tower Bridge off eBay that was listed as new in sealed box. Upon receiving it I saw that the seals had popped off (or possible peeled off) and had been taped over with packing tape. The box was also pretty beat up with a quarter-sized hole on the front and lots of creases and dings. I messaged the seller asking for a partial refund and they gave me a polite response asking how much I wanted, so my two questions are:

 

1. What would be a fair amount to ask for? I paid $228 shipped for it with the intention of long-term holding, so future resale value is a concern. I am thinking $30 (obviously more would be nice but I'm not sure at what point it becomes greedy and rude to the seller).

 

2. Should I go ahead and slit the tape to check the contents? Although I trust the seller and the weight checks out, I figure it's no longer considered a sealed box anyway so might as well.

I'd verify contents definitely. I'd start at a $40 refund and settle on $30 if needed.

Yep that`s right, it`s no longer factory sealed the second the original packaging pops off. Anyone who thinks that sticking it back on = factory sealed is frankly, wrong. Once they are off, doesn`t matter what you do, it`s no MISB or NISB, it is "complete". 

 

 

I'd verify contents definitely. I'd start at a $40 refund and settle on $30 if needed.

That`s a good recommendation, I don`t sell on ebay, but have purchased a significant amount of stuff over the years, and in this case a partial refund should be acceptable. Unless the listing said that it was re-taped. If that is the case, it is not the sellers fault, unless something is missing. If not, then ya I`d ask for a partial refund. 

Seller agreed to a $40 refund, so I'm pretty happy with the transaction overall. The listing only stated that the set was new and sealed, with a small disclaimer that boxes may have minor wear. This box was beyond that, not to mention the seals, so fortunately the seller agreed with me and was easy to work with.