This was only a camera, expensive but if a company the size of Goodwill has to make their money misrepresenting the items they are selling, just think of what the future of on line storage auctions will be like.
With online storage auctions, if the unit is not as described you have options. You can take the issue up with the facility manager and get a refund or price adjustment. In the case of private sales, you can inspect the unit before paying the seller.
You're going to have discrepancies from time to time, but that's no different than any other business. Earlier this month, I ordered a 7.6g 14K gold ring with 9 VS E stones weighing .60 off of eBay. The seller was a jeweler and the ring was listed as new. When the item arrived, something just didn't seem right about it. I wore it all day and then it dawned on me, it was two diamonds short. After further inspection, the band design wasn't the same either. I weighed it. 3.5 grams short. Stones were cloudy. They had sent me the wrong ring. It was definitely similar but of much lower quality.
I sent the ring back and contacted the seller about getting the return shipping refunded. When I shipped it, I insured it. The total came out to $10.86. When I asked him for this amount, his response was "I didn't ask you to insure it, we will only pay $3.11." This was my first indication that I was dealing with an unscrupulous individual. Like I'm going to ship a $400 ring being shipped to "Gold Avenue Manufacturing" without insuring it. I told him to quit being cheap, this was his screw up not mine and he would refund the entire amount. He did.
Anyway, I wonder if this was a legitimate mistake or whether this is a scam he pulls on people hoping they won't notice. My point is, there will be discrepancies in any business. You have to be cautious and if something isn't right, stand your ground.