Quoted from yzfguy:My advice, learned firsthand, is do not buy it without seeing it in person. It's not what you want to hear, but it is sound advice.
You're right on both counts. If this guy's wife told him she was buying a diamond necklace that was a steal of a deal and looked great in the pics and all she needed to do was wire money to someone she didn't know halfway across the country, he'd tell her "No, you can't do that. I should have married the smart one instead of you".