You might also look for a description guarantee in the auction house’s general information. I worked for Poulin Auctions (and still consign for them as well as Guyette and Deeter from time to time) and we took pride in guaranteeing our descriptions. A couple of other houses have followed suit from what I understand. The guarantee’s benefit is twofold: it ensures you are protected on your purchase and it ensures that the descriptions are as accurate as possible. Some auction houses hire general writers to generate their copy while others hire real gun guys - it makes a huge difference.
Poulin is a good example of a dedicated gun auction site that provides most, if not all, of the information that a person needs. I've purchased a number of guns from Poulin and with one minor exception the description was very accurate.
The exception was a SxS that had the rear stock sling hole filled and the front sling mount and its screws were missing. Neither was mentioned in the description, but that's certainly not a deal breaker and I've been very happy with the gun.
