Yeesh, tough crowd.
Not that I'm endorsing the seller or authenticator, but one should not be so quick to judge:
"wooden cover, metal blade" - English likely isn't the writer's first language & translations can come out even goofier than this. For all we know the Chinese character for "scabbard" also means "cover," and the one specificly for iron or steel could refer generically to metal as well.
Bad photos: the guy could be a bad photographer. His choice of a white background made his job even harder. I have had the exact same problem with the contrast using a too-light background.
Certified authentic: it actually could be the real deal - a rather low-quality dha from the late 1800's. The lacquered scabbard & handle are not unheard of, and in any event it could be a later "restoration." However, its very had to get an idea of what the blade (the really critical feature) is like from the photos, so it could be modern junk, too.
Just being difficult for ya.
