I have purchased my fair share of pre-owned nice brushes & razors and generally find that sellers are pretty much forthright about the condition, particularly about brushes. Many have been far nicer than described and are true gems to own. One that I recently bought was supposed to have been a silvertip badger in very lightly used condition. I have brushes from that manufacturer and they are some of my favorites, so I went for it. As it turned out, it looked to have a Mountain badger knot and the brush had an obvious flaw that could be seen at a glance. There was a rumpled spot in the knot and tangles bad enough to require careful combing through the brush. I lost about a dozen hairs from that and had subsequent shedding for a few shaves after that. Fortunately, the shedding has stopped and the brush is regaining it's form. Lesson learned - buyer beware and try to read the person you are dealing with. If communication is difficult and not forthcoming or unanswered for a doy or two, beware and re-think the deal.
