The worst part about the SKS56 rifles are the triggers. They have a long, "springy" feeling pull and don't break cleanly every time.
Other than the trigger, SKS rifles are great. Milled receivers (except for some very rare Chinese examples), good sights, chrome lined barrel on all but Yugoslavian models, easy to maintain, and inexpensive to buy and shoot.
Make sure that you check the gas tube for corrosion before you buy. Anything under $300 would be a fair price for a short barreled SKS56.
The SKS56 military rifles all had the longer barrels. The "Paratrooper" models with the short barrels were strictly created for certain US importers to help sell these in the US commercial market. They were never actually used in military service, nor by any paratroopers.
Edit: It's a common misconception that Chinese firearms are low quality. The quality of the SKS56 (Chinese) rifles is as good or better than SKS rifles from any other country, including the Russian SKS45.