[JimiBryant]

the most important thing is to be nice instead of right out of the gate
being like "hey a******* one of these pickups is bad, you ripped me
off"

I don't know how you phrased things in your message, but keep your
cool and see if things can't be worked out.. I can't see any seller who
wouldn't want to make right by a dissatisfied customer, although they
do exist (what's the seller's feedback like? if it's like, 97% positive or
something like that then they're unlikely to leave you hanging)

a 50% refund for return of the bad pup or some sort of agreed-upon
"shut up & go away" amount for you to keep both pickups and close
the dispute as being resolved amicably would not be unreasonable
to shoot for.. I definitely wasn't suggesting that you should roll over
and do nothing about this but it may be easier in the long run to take
the high road in this case and just ask plenty of questions in future
before bidding. that's what I learned from a couple of transactions
similar to yours, so make what you will of my words and the best
of luck to you, regardless.

PS I bet Duncan would replace the pickup or fix it like new for a
reasonable amount.