I don't go out of my way to buy damaged items but I have damaged a fair few (one of them one of my very best pieces that is irreplaceable) and hubby damaged a very expensive piece of studio sculpture that I'd bought in the days before kids, when we actually had money. Those pieces still stand proudly, mended but beautiful, where they have always stood. They have our history with them, I couldn't bear to part with them, and my stress levels around them are much less, especially when the kids are playing Wii right next to them.
I did buy a very amazing box recently that is a V Nason piece, with a big chip missing on one corner. But you see, you can't see it when the lid is on, I will NEVER be able to justify paying for an undamaged box like that, and it has pride of place in our sitting room. And I was given a beautiful Skrdlovice piece that has a huge crumpled area on it where the previous owner dropped it

and I just turn it to the back and it displays beautifully. So yes I do occasionally but only for pieces that I want for my own collection or because of something special (in my eyes) about them. That said, I have two specific people I collect and I wouldn't buy a damaged piece of their work.
For the most part I don't because if I ever wanted to sell it on it is much harder to do so, but I can't resist something a bit different if it floats my boat
m