eBay disputes

[Jorgo85]

Hi all

I've had a dispute on eBay, and I'm seeking further advice. My wife had bought a bulk lot of childrens clothes on our account and they arrived one week after purchase (NSW to WA) which was reasonable. Upon opening the box, we found that some of the clothes were mouldy, and all of them smelt damp. They were not left in the weather at our end as my wife took delivery of them and they had not inspected them before shipping to us. They'd bought them in and on sold them. We had contacted the seller and tried to resolve it, and they wanted us to pay to ship it back. And after the dispute going to PayPal, they've told us that we do have to pay for shipping. Now, here's the catch. The item was purchase for $100, $31 dollars of that quoted for shipping. Shipping actually cost close to $50. So, we're going to be out of pocket half the original purchase price and be left with no product/item. I can't make sense of it. If you purchased a product that was advertised as new, and it was damaged, would you not expect the vendor to foot the bill when it's due to their negligence?? Does anyone know if matters such as this can be taken further with consumer affairs etc??

Thanks in advance