When you are buying used cane on EBAY- sight unseen, regardless of the pictures- there are eight basic questions you must ask to reduce the risk of getting burned after you bid:

• 1. Has the rod ever been repaired? If so, you probably do not want it.


• 2. What is the condition of the finish? If it is too bad, the cost of refinishing the rod may make it a pointless purchase.


• 3. Are the ferrules loose? Loose ferrules may- or may not- indicate the rod is in questionable shape. At the very least this problem provides a reality check, a pause in which to reconsider, before you lay out the cash.


• 4. Are all the pieces of equal length? In my opinion, at least, a tip section shortened by more than an inch makes the rod not worthy of further consideration because the action can be so adversely affected.


• 5. Are the wraps tight, and are all the guides in place? Loose wraps and missing guides can be taken care of fairly reasonably, but the price of the rod had better be right on the money.


• 6. Are there any sets in the rod? If there are, do not waste your money. Sets often affect castability and can be costly to repair properly.


• 7. What weight line does the rod really cast? A 5 weight rod may not be a 5 weight rod. Perhaps it really is a 4 weight or a 6 weight. Find out before you buy, not after.


• 8. Is the rod biased towards a double taper or a forward taper line? Some cane rods handle one better than the other. This is useful information to know up front. You may, as I do, have a preference for double taper lines.

EBAY is a very big gamble, but if you can acquire honest answers to the above questions you may have a slight chance of not getting royally screwed. As always, with all things on the Internet- buyer beware.