HG/SS has always been tough to obtain used. Part of the reason is that it sold less than DPPt, and Nintendo and The Pokemon Company were hesitant to re-release any of the Johto titles.
The cart works, but the manual and game insert are water-damaged. The inserts cause the case to not close sometimes due to the water damage and bends/hardness of the manual. It isn't exactly crunchy, but is definitely a bit mangled.