I have noticed that many sellers will misrepresent what they are selling. Probably 98% will give an accurate, truthful description, but many others will not. Forinstance, I observed an auction for a replica handgun that can be purchased here on Ebay on a BIN for less than $60. This gun being sold was listed as a Vintage Capgun?. Unfortunately, the hammer of the gun had been filed down to remove the firing pin and the seller raved on and on about how beautiful it was. When I notified the seller what the gun was, there was absolutely no response and the auction was not changed nor the bidders warned. As a consequence a novice buyer ended up paying $114.00 plus shipping for a damaged gun worth at the most maby $25 or $30.  Also, I saw a set of 1940's cast iron Cowboy Kings that had been rechromed and put into a generic holster that was represented as being part of the Cowboy King set. I also recieved a Hopalong Cassidy capgun that was advertised as being in excellent condition and when it arrived I found that the barrel would fall open the moment you touched the trigger. Fortunately, I was able to have that gun repaired to complete a set I needed. But, without a competent gunsmith avaliable I would have been cheated out of my money. Another time I saw a generic western type lamp shade that was purported to be a Roy Rogers sell for $140. I have the same identical lamp and it definately isn't RR and only paid $28 for mine. So you have to be careful about what you are buying. If you don't know for sure and can't get the seller to guarantee what they are selling to be authentic it's best to leave it alone.

Even the best sellers can let a damaged piece slip by and generally they will work with the buyer to resolve any problems, but when a seller sets out to deliberately hide damage or imperfections you are about to be taken to the cleaners. Ever notice how in some auctions some photos are crystal clear and then you will have several photos that are blurred or out of focus? When I see that I figure it's not an accident and just pass that auction by. I figure they are hiding something with the blurred photos. Or if the photo is too dark to see the item clearly, but other items they are selling are brightly lit? Again, let it go. There will be another one coming and you might be able to see exactly what you are buying.

I started out by saying know what you are bidding on. If you plan to collect something as expensive as old capguns and related items you had better know exactly what you are doing and exactly what the item should look like. Broken hammers, cracked grips, bent barrels, badly corroded firing areas, guns that won't stay shut when fired and triggers that won't fire the guns properly are just junk guns as far as I'm concerned. (Unless it's an extreamly rare item) Also, guns that have been juryrigged are just junk. I actually had one seller send me a Roy Rogers capgun that was advertised in excellent shape and it had been glued together with JB Weld. Thats getting hard up to make a buck, but there are enough people who will do just that to cheat you out of your money.

Be extra careful of the sellers who refuse to take Paypal. Most of my really bad experiences have come from sellers who have all kinds of fancy excuses as to why they won't take Paypal. One of those sellers waited until I sent a Post Office Money Order and the day they got the money resigned from Ebay. Yep, you are right, I never saw that money nor the merchandise again. (Over $150)

You can't protect yourself from a crook in every situation, but if you follow the simple guidelines I listed above you can lessen your chances of getting cheated. Goodluck and I hope to be bidding against you :o)