Not really. I've bought over a dozen used Smith & Wesson revolvers on GunBroker with very good success. Your best bet to make sure you are protected is to never bid on a gun that doesn't come with a return option. No one who is aware of a defect in a gun is going to offer such a thing and even if he didn't know about it, you're protected.

The next step is to have the guns you buy online shipped to a licensed gunsmith who gives every one a good looking over before you do the federal and state paperwork.

I did have two instances where there was a problem of sorts. The "smooth target stocks" on a 686-3 turned out to be copies of S&W stocks and the seller reimbursed me what the genuine article was selling for at the time ($85).

The other was caught by my gunsmith. The double-action hammer travel on a no-dash 686 was about half what it should have been and even though the seller's inspection conditions excluded firing or disassembly, we removed the side plate and found the double-action sear had been "machined" for some reason and its trigger end was not the same profile as it should be. The gunsmith had a sear on hand and the seller paid 50% of his $61 bill for fitting and installing it. Given that I had actually violated his terms and conditions, I felt that was fair.

Buying online is rapidly becoming one of very few ways to locate nice pre-MIM and IL S&Ws. It's very safe if you employ common sense.