Without knowing the brand I can tell you this. If it's cheap it's most likely just that, cheap. There's plenty of "Battle ready" and "Carbon steel" sword like objects going around ebay so the real questions are

1) What will this be used for?

If it's just something you want to display over the old fireplace then just about anything that pleasing to your eye will do. If your a Martial Artist like myself, then the criteria changes. I need a sword for cutting practice that has a proper heat treat. Carbon steel by itself does not a real sword make. The sword has to be able to withstand the forces of being swung and the impact and draw of a cut. Even swinging around a stainless steel rat tail tanged sword slowly can cause the tang to break off in the handle. The heat treat is a differential temperature conditioning of the blade so that it will be able to flex and distribute the forces of being used and not shatter (Too brittle) or stay bent (Too soft) Heat treating is not a quick process and therefore costs money to have done properly.

2) Form over function or vise versa?

So knowing even that little bit of knowledge leads us to ask ourselves, "Do I want a pretty wall hanger or do I want something that meets the criteria of a real sword (Being able to withstand use). Cast iron parts may look cool on that bud k skull sword but there not even close to functional. A die cast tsuba is just the same. So you need to ask yourself if you want eye candy or do you want a real, functional sword built to withstand the rigors of it's intended use.

So really in the end it all comes down to what your going to do with this. I started out with UC Lord of the rings swords till my martial interests lead me to study Historic Martial Arts. my needs have thusly changed over the years. Now I mostly buy Albion and Arms and Armor and the occasional Hanwei thrown in. Once you determine your needs and your budget all you have to do s find something that fits said needs.

Good luck and happy collecting!