First check the feedback it will instantly tell you if the seller knows his product! Second does the seller also offer flies for sale? If so then you probably have someone who knows the business. What is the return policy? Should clearly be stated in policies as buying feathers is a very personal item for a fly tyer kind of like buying underwear. Do a search to see what the identical item is selling for elsewhere. Does the product have a brand name like, Whiting, Metz, ect. these are trusted names and grow quality feathers for the fly tyer. Does the seller clearly state the intended use of the feathers and is the picture clear? If you have any questions did you get a quck answer? Beware if you do not get a quick reply! I look for feathers that have a serial number in the photo so I know exactly what I am buying, advertised as what you see is actually what you will get. Color should be crisp and not washed out in the photo, monitors differ a little but you should be close when the item arrives. Shipping can be rough on feathers and packaging can also leave a little to be desired from time to time. This does not mean that the product is not top rate it simply means you have a tiny amount of work ahead to get the feathers back to 100% . Simply put a pot of water on the stove covered with aluminum foil. Punch a hole near the side with a pencil. As the water comes to a boil a very nice flow of steam will come up thru the hole. At this point all you need to do is slowly move the feathers in the steam and they will spring back to life just like they were on the bird. If you stay a long time in the steam you might want to carefully use a blow dryer to set the feathers. Blow in the direction that the feathers were originally on the bird basically the same way you blow dry your hair. Try a few peacock eyes and you will be amazed at how much the herl will puff up and get more brilliant. if you are buying expensive hackle capes ask the seller if they might be willing to tie a fly with one feather and show it in a picture, or at least seperate one feather out to the side of the cape so you can see how thick the stem is, also ask how the cape runs. What does runs mean? How many feathers are there for the size flies you wish to tie. Spending $70.00 and having a cape arrive with very little feathers in the size range you use the most is going to be a big disappointment.  Submitted by Al-the-Ole Coyote.