This is why I don't buy any rods from BPS, and if I do, I ask if they have any stock in the back. Some of their rods are just so beat up, nicked up, scratched up, that I just can't bring myself to pay full retail for a rod that isn't in top condition. I use rod socks to prevent such damage. I will also say that I recently ordered 2 Veritas rods from Walmart.com, one for myself and one for my girl friend, and both were of poor quality. Mine had cracked guide epoxy along with the tip and one guide horrible misaligned on the blank. Her rod had black streaks near the mid section of the rod where it was gouged with something then expoxyed over during manufacturing.