I bought a US proof set on Ebay. It is one from the 70s that comes in a hinged box. The plastic tabs on the box hinge are broken, preventing the lid from staying attached to the box. Would you bring this up with the seller or just let it lay?
If it was cheap I would let it lay. They do that all of the time, the little plastic dimples break on the cover. Besides, you bought coins, right? You didn't buy plastic.
That's what I figured. It is a $7.50 item. I do think it would be worth mentioning in the seller's item description though.
You are right, the seller should have mentioned that the container was damaged. The hinged lid was designed for displaying the coins. It is a unique feature and does compromise the set. Under e-bay guidlines here is what they state: "Include all relevant information that you know about the item, such as origin, date of issue, and condition." So in escense you would have a legitimate complaint, but for $7.50 is it worth it. You could open the set and sell them individualy and make more money (provided you handle them according to numismatic standards and place them in a mylar flip for protection.)
One of those cases where you are right but it doesn't really matter. If it helps the last time I looked all of my proof sets like that were broken. I just threw away the lids and kept the sets.
Yeah for $7.50 not a big deal, still got the coins etc. I'd send them a message about it to see what they say, then leave feedback accordingly.
And if you REALLY want an unbroken cover they're not particularly hard to find. Check with a local coin dealer if that's possible.
