When something you bought from eBay arrives in bad condition... just raise a case with eBay, you are entitled to return the item if it was not packaged properly. I always return stuff that arrives crushed... otherwise, how are the silly senders ever going to learn?
It's not that simple. You make a killer deal on a one-of-a-kind piece of equipment, like Oculus did, and now you have a bit of a dilemma: Just because some underpaid muppet damages the goods in shipping (as seen above); do you really want to lose out on that great deal if the damage is entirely cosmetic?
If you lead out of the gate with a seller-rep-damaging dispute, you've already used your big guns. All the seller has to do is call your bluff and demand return of the goods, and you're hosed out of the deal you made and the hassle of repacking and return shipping.
Requesting that they initiate a shipping damage claim, but not initiating a dispute is still well within your rights as a customer; and if you couch it in terms of not wanting to harm their rep as a seller, you still have the high ground. It takes longer, and you may STILL have to file a dispute; but it is also a LOT of hassle for the seller. This is your leverage.
All these fly-by-night China-direct sellers use this tactic to aggravate you as a buyer out of completing a return... The hassle and cost of actually making it happen is more than the item is worth. The eBay platform makes this possible; I say turn it back on them and use it to your advantage.
And lastly; NEVER HESITATE to contact eBay customer support if the seller isn't cooperative. Their number is 866.540.3229, and over the last few years, they've gotten a LOT better at reasonable wait times and actually helping, even if the phone banks are outsourced to wherever they can find people cheapest (I've had a couple times when I had to request a different agent because the one I got had an accent so thick I literally couldn't understand them).
If I feel it is time to initiate a dispute, I'll usually do it this way with an agent; you can ask them to walk you through posting pics (even if you've sent them to the seller in a PM, it's a good idea to do this to make the pics part of the actual dispute process) and if you remain patient, you'll usually get a satisfactory outcome.
If you take a polite tone, explain that you've spoken with the seller and you don't want to damage their rep by filing a dispute, but they're really not helping you resolve this, you can usually get the seller's attention. Explain that the purchase is a one-of-a-kind item, and you really DO want it, but it arrived damaged and your seller isn't helping you file a shipping damage claim. They will contact the seller on your behalf, which usually goads them into doing SOMETHING to make it right for you.
Bottom line is the old saw about
"You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." applies 100% here; keep your cool, but be insistent that you're not satisfied.
Kill 'em with kindness, even though you're the one who's been wronged. mnem