Bicycle Mechanics - Reusing a hub with a catastrophic end (+some ebay ethics)

I just ordered some used older FH-5500 105 hubs off ebay. They have significant wear marks at the spoke holes. To a point these are to be expected. However, on the front hub the flange is slightly but clearly bent in at one hole. I am thinking the wheel these hubs were laced to met a tragic end.

At this point I am only planning on building the rear wheel (with the front to happen sometime in the future). So my options are:
-Build the rear and buy a new front hub off ebay which are a dime a dozen
-resell the hubs on ebay and just go to performance and get some Ultegra/open pros and rebuild them myself. (taking a wheelbuilding class so I will be building something)
-ignore it and hope for the best

Now for the e-bay portion. The hubs were described as "in good condition". They were in overall decent condition except that they are bent. I would not surprise me if the seller had no idea they were bent. I am thinking of contacting the seller to see if we can work out something that would keep us both happy.

They were $30 + shipping.

Thoughts?

Don't even bother contacting the seller, just leave nasty negative feedback to be safe about it.

Oh wait. Actually do the opposite.

Selling something on AFTER you've discovered what you consider to be significant damage on the goods is something that I'd consider immoral. Unless, of course, that you point out the damage and sell them on as basically axle and bearing spares with a price to match.

OTOH catastrophic failure of hub flanges is rare, and almost entirely restricted to radial/low-cross wheels, so odds are that the hubs would be fully capable of standing up to being built into wheels again.
In the end only you can decide whether it's worth the effort/money saved to start a build with obvously worn components. On the bright side you shouldn't have any trouble replacing the hubs with another pair if they should fail prematurely.

(+some ebay ethics)
Base on a lot of the postings here, I've concluded that "ebay ethics" is an oxymoron. Time after time there are complaints that what someone bought was; defective, broken, damaged, the wrong item, the wrong size, not as described, etc., etc.

For $30 for both hubs I'd use the rear and salvage the cones, axle and seals from the front. That assumes, of course, that the hub internals are in useable condition. They may not be.

Base on a lot of the postings here, I've concluded that "ebay ethics" is an oxymoron.
I disagree. I've used eBay to buy and sell for a decade and my experience is 99%+ positive. You just hear more about the bad experiences.

To the OP, see if you can work with the seller first. My experience is that most are ready to make it right.

Selling something on AFTER you've discovered what you consider to be significant damage on the goods is something that I'd consider immoral. Unless, of course, that you point out the damage and sell them on as basically axle and bearing spares with a price to match.

OTOH catastrophic failure of hub flanges is rare, and almost entirely restricted to radial/low-cross wheels, so odds are that the hubs would be fully capable of standing up to being built into wheels again.
In the end only you can decide whether it's worth the effort/money saved to start a build with obvously worn components. On the bright side you shouldn't have any trouble replacing the hubs with another pair if they should fail prematurely.

I would note the damage and eat the loss if I resold them or just leave the front out entirely.

I disagree. I've used eBay to buy and sell for a decade and my experience is 99%+ positive. You just hear more about the bad experiences.
I didn't say it was always, or even usually, the seller's fault. Many buyers don't know what they need, don't recognize what they are getting and don't ask the right questions.

There have been countless posts here saying things like: "I just bought an XYZ on ebay, what do I do with it? What does it fit? What tools do I need?"

+1 Contact the seller, request reasonable accommodation (a partial refund since one of the two hubs is junk). If he doesn't take care of you, then flame him with the negative feedback he deserves.

The seller deserves a shot to address the situation. And if he does, leave positive feedback, he's earned it.

I have bought and sold hundreds of items on ebay over the years, and rarely have had an issue.

I had a buyer accuse me of selling "counterfeit" merchandise: a set of $30 stereo cables, which were complete with the original packaging. I had gotten them off ebay a few years earlier. I told him to send them back and I'd give him a refund, but he said he decided to "turn me in" to the manufacturer! When the FBI showed up at my door...just kidding. I decided he was just a nut, but still tried to accommodate him. I'm just saying give the seller a chance.

Yes, give the seller a chance. Odds are the seller wasn't aware of the front hub's flange. Take a few photos, with an angle where you can see the bend in the flange. I've bought a lot of stuff on eBay, and most of the time sellers are accommodating when there's a problem with their merchandise.