Fork oil leakage. Damaged seals?

[bikeuser12341231]

Hi there,

I have this 2009 RockShox Argyle 318 fork that I want to sell. It is brand new, never mounted, never used. I had it sitting around in its box since I bought it. The only problem is that a few years ago I laid it down on the floor (not standing, to clear up any confusion) and when I checked back on it a few months later (~ 10 months ) I noticed oil had been leaking between the seals. Right after I put the fork in the standing position. The amount of oil that was leaked wasn't much at all. Is this normal to happen or the seals were damaged during that period of 10 months? Or were they just temporary damaged, so to speak, as seals are made out of elastic materials. And as it is with elastic materials, they turn back to their initial form once force ceases being subjected onto them. The seals present no cracks whatsoever. Also, how come all the oil didn't leak? Could've something else been damaged during that time as well?
I don't want to hide anything from the customer, all I want is to get a fair price for what it is.

Thank you!

P.S.: The temperature I kept the fork at was ranging between 32 F ( 0 C ) and 95 F ( 35 C ), no humidity, and I kept it away from sunlight. There weren't any sudden changes of temperature.
I'm selling the fork only in my country, which is not part of America.

[Henry_G]

@"Painkiller" definitely has the answer From what I know or have experienced, forks degrade over time. 10 years (?) is a long time, even if the fork hasn't been in action at all. is there chance that dust went in during these years? That can often be the reason for leakage, but in active biking case. Anyways lets wait if @"Painkiller" sees this.

Thread like this might also help, no? https://forums.bikeride.com/thread-4071.html

[Painkiller]

I would say it was not damaged sitting the box and i doubt if stored indoors even with the temp range you describe it has degraded much. I have found out in the past that letting out air and compressing the fork for smaller shipping boxes can also cause oil to breach and leak but once aired and oiled work just fine. Bike with shocks should be hung/stored upright for these reasons, same with hydro. brake equipped bikes. I would advertise the fork as new unused, but recommend the the fork be inspected /installed by a professional and oil changed due to its age. You should be fine with that.