Adam,
As long as you have proof that the ball was delivered back to the seller which can be checked online by eBay (i.e. a tracking number, where it shows "Delivered" as the last statement), and have provided that tracking number to eBay, you will eventually get your money back. Ebay won't care about the transcripts of the e-mails you have exchanged, the links go Net54 discussions of the ball, or really any reasonable proof that the signature was fake. They side with the buyer in cases like these 99.9% of the time as long as the buyer gets the item back to the seller and can show that it was delivered with that tracking number verifiable online.
That's not to say that it is a quick process, or that the seller will be happy with the result (he'll wind up eating the initial shipping costs too, but not return shipping). Just keep a cool head and ride it out.
If he wants to talk damages as far as the return shipping is concerned, and you insured it with USPS, work that out after the eBay claim is done (can't recall if you would have to file or he would, but it may have required him to open the package in the presence of a postal worker to prove damage anyway. Been a long time since I've gone down that road, and I just don't recall). I don't think eBay will want to get in the middle of an insurance claim. And if you think eBay is slow on claims, just wait until you start in with the USPS...
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