When I bought my last batch of historical stuff, I found a website where only some of the miniatures actually had photos- the rest had drawings.
True there are still some manufacturers yet to take advantage of the art of photography and the internet.
A lot of them still do most of their business from shows, though it is changing.
It is quite interesting to go to a decent show as you can actually see and handle minis up close. Sometimes even good pictures can give a false impression.
Scale is one concern - is it 25mm, or 28mm, or large 28mm?
Are the sculpts chunky - are the weapons heroic or realistic or somewhere inbetween?
Indeed a great paint job can suggest detail that isn't there.
Salute has to be the biggest and best at London Excel in April - most people of note are there.
SELWG in October at Crystal Palace in London is also quite good, though probably around one quarter to one third of the size.
There are deals to be had, but I usually make a list of stuff I want to look at - to see if it is any good and worth buying.
Quite often you can buy it better online.