I had a theory back in the 80s that the dealers put the cracked stocks on the scruffiest metal, knowing that they would have to blow those out at a lower price anyway. That may have been more trouble (labor cost) than it was worth, but I stayed away from the cracked stock specials and lowest-price dealers. I tried to purchase after the first wave had been reviewed but before they hit the bottom of the barrel, and was generally happy with the results.
$250 is an attractive price for a milled/screwed early military SKS if all that is needed is stock work, but waiting for early reviews would probably be the smartest route. I have not dealt with Classic, but have read many expressions of disappointment in rating/descriptions. That is not unusual for this type of merchandise, but AIM and the few others I dealt with never let me down.