Buyer Beware

[Nano]

true but for $250 you expect to get your moneys worth.

[tim the toolman]

Sight unseen is always going to be a risk. And I think you forgot to blot out the sellers name a couple of places. This is what pm is all about I think. You win some you lose some and the seller seemed genuinely willing to help with your concerns. The shipping procedures on a standard parcel can sometimes be quite rough and careless so it may have been working before it was shipped.
Sorry to hear about the wasted $ though.