Riot Merch Store Problem: Please Help

Hi leagueoflegends boards,

I bought a Project Team Mini Figurine and it did not come with an Authenticity Card. As a collector and trader, this poses a big problem for me in terms of value. They told me they can (1) get me a digital code or (2) I can pay for shipping and get my money back (item cost only).

For (1), as a collector and trader, this code is almost useless to me. Anyone can then by a cheap knock off, attach the digital code onto each item and then sell it again. For (2), I received an incomplete item, why am I in charge of paying for shipping to return the item?

Any thoughts on how I should approach this?