Bought a cheap anvil off Craigslist, found out why it was cheap
Picked up a 110 pound anvil from a guy outside Columbus for $180 without checking the face first. Turned out it was cast iron with a crummy welded top plate, and my hammer blows chipped it within the first week. Lost about $140 when I tried to resell it for scrap value. Anyone else get burned by an anvil that looked solid from the photos but was garbage in person?
Learned this same lesson with used tools in general. People slap a fresh coat of paint on junk and suddenly it's "barely used" in the listing. If a deal looks too good, there's usually a reason and the seller knows it.