Yeah, Craigslist doesn't have the best return policy. I lucked out once, but have been burned a couple times (and check things over with more care now).

Well at least you have some pretty wall art, and it sounds like you could have spent more for it, so there's that.

Yeah, this has taught me to be more thorough when dealing through CL. The guy hasn't responded to my emails so don't think I'm getting anywhere with him, although I do know where he lives...

You can always take him to small claims court.

Problem is , u might have to remove the paint or AT LEAST feel inside the tubes to see if those are structural or cosmetic cracks.
Aluminum is fragile..

Yeah, I'm not about to start stripping paint. While I work at a shop and believe it to have been in a wreck, I am going to bring it in the shop to see what our head mechanic thinks.

I did get a reply from the seller and he seems sympathetic and wants me to update him with any news.