Dodge enough ladders laying on the highway because they weren't secured and you'll develop a pretty callous attitude about stuff lost on the road. Add the bags of trash, furniture and yard waste and I'd say not bothering to secure loads is an epidemic. Local cop got shot and killed last week when he stopped a scumbag for an expired temporary tag so I honestly don't blame them for looking the other way. If it's someone who would be hard pressed to replace the loss then I'd suggest they make sure everything is secure and not expect everyone else to try to return things lost due to carelessness or inattention.
So far as buying used firearms it's rare to be able to return an item found to be defective so I consider a used firearm is only worth what it could be parted out for at the most. If you place any value on your time and add shipping then used firearms at a gun show have to be bought cheap unless you're a gambler.