Three most recent experiences and why i'd rather rely on the hourly guy:
Am on the lower East coast and bought a pair of best English shotguns from a West coast dealer with a storeroom and internet presence. I'll never make it out there to see the firearms in person. Good price and a new discount that I jumped on. Three phone calls between myself and the partner/owner before I committed to purchase them. On two of the phone calls he broke the shotguns down and talked me through them, my asking every question i've heard or read or thought about. I was lied to about their condition; there was a bulge in a barrel, appeared to be a rib loose, and there was one non-firing trigger. Wall thicknesses were over-stated. And the original case was missing its original crystal oil bottle upon my receiving the shipment. I called back after receiving the guns and case and advised him of the issues; he said return them for a refund. That's nice, but it would cost me $300 in lost $$ for the shipping both ways. Ultimately I kept them and he gave me $100 check for the lost oil bottle. i won't buy from him again.
Telephonically talked over a nice pre-war commercial German mauser sporter rifle with a known midwest/West dealer, with a storeroom and internet presence. Good price. I'll never make it out there to see the firearm in person. Three phone calls with the owner, one phone call in which he pulled the action and barrel from the wood as per my request; i asked specifically about any cracking or chipping or migrating cracks etc in the interior of the stock and as well outside on top behind the action - was told none. When i got the rifle, the back top of the pistol grip right behind the action had an obvious near-chipout in a horshoe-like shape. So that was a lie. I called him about it and his only reply was that all Mausers of vintage have these cracks or what have you at the rear, so send it back if i'm not happy. I didn't, I chose to keep it. When i later broke the gun down completely, what did I find? yes, inside the stock there was through and through cracking of the wood in those inner channels. i won't buy from him again.
Last experience and only two weeks ago, major auction house (Rock Island Auction) ~ a pre-war mauser bolt action with a less than adequate photograph pictured on line. The college-age kid on the phone who called me back a day later with the condition report honestly answered every question i had, gun in hand, even to detail the degree of pitting on the detachable scope, its slight haziness, too and every minutia one could think of about the wood and metal. The rifle when received was in exactly or even better condition than described.
I've had similar experiences in the past wrt owner/employees and to me it seems that far better when purchasing something sight unseen is to catch an hourly employee on the phone to walk/talk you through a firearm because they seem to have less invested in it and seem to be more open and honest.
