That Other Audiophile Website

Thank God op did not find a dog hair. 
Give it an intelligent clean and air it out for a bit and you should be good to go. 

Tominnj
You are without doubt psychologically unattuned to conducting business transactions with anybody let alone sellers of used equipment.
Used equipment is what it says on the box.
Used. Period.

You don't seem to function like normal human beings.

Go back into your hole and stop bothering us with your nonsense.

Interesting situation and some of the responses.
1. Sometimes things don’t work out the way I would like them. Deals with it. That’s life.
2. The OP’s 2019 experience seems a reasonable concern if the unit had a discernible odor. Cigarette smoke smell is not near mint condition cosmetically. Yes, that refers to its appearance, but a strong odor is in the realm of cosmetics.

3. After the 2019 experience, OP you were forwarned and forearmed for future purchases. This one is on you.

4. Websites generally are useless. Try getting eBay to do anything. The best defense is paying via PayPal for goods and services. PayPal almost always side with the buyer.
5. If the site in question is USAM, they offer a free service. What do you expect. They don’t gouge profits from sellers like AG, eBay and others.

6. Be a responsible buyer and seller, take care of your needs, and the rest takes of itself. Occasionally I have to deal with a bad individual. Stay calm, patient, and realize it’s just a piece of equipment.
Goodluck in your future purchases.

People that smoke have no clue how bad they or their house and possessions smell. My parents smoked, they're dead now.