Pictures of used gear

[Trent 0]

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The trust issue is why I think it's a good idea for the seller to hold the payment (ie don't cash the check) until the buyer has received the item and has let them know they are happy with it. If a seller was not willing to do that I wouldn't buy from them; likewise I would not sell an item online without offering to hold the payment.

As a gear dealer, we simply cannot risk holding a check until the customer has received the canopy. In fact, we don't usually ship the canopy until their payment has cleared. We've seen our share of bad/forged checks and money orders to not fall for that. But then we have the advantage of being a gear store with a physical location at a large DZ that people can come to and beat our asses if we rip them off.

For private sellers and buyers, I'd suck up the percentage cost and use an online escrow... especially if it was a really expensive item.

And I feel the rage on the ridiculous picture requests.

Oh, hello again!

[skybytch 259]

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As a gear dealer, we simply cannot risk holding a check until the customer has received the canopy. In fact, we don't usually ship the canopy until their payment has cleared. We've seen our share of bad/forged checks and money orders to not fall for that.

Understood. If I were buying from a dealer I'd expect that. But I'd also expect that there be a certain time frame after I receive the item in which I'm entitled to return it for a full refund (less shipping and the cost of any work that had been done to it by my request).

In most cases a gear store can be trusted to cut a (good) check for a refund even though the original payment has already been processed. You can't always trust that a private seller will still have the cash if/when the item is returned.

[FrogNog 1]

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What exactly is a picture of a canopy laid out on the floor going to tell you that the above information doesn't tell you?

The pictures of canopies should be while they're flying. And high-quality pictures, too, not screen captures from a wide-angle digital video camera where the canopy is 1/20th of the screen height / width.

Why? Because these pictures are sexy. Sex sells.

Now, all that stuff about people wanting detailed pictures of specific parts, well, that's a pain in the butt. It's a used car thing. Little signals indicate other, bigger things. And there's a continuum of condition that's hard to describe. e.g. How dirty is the yellow center cell? How frayed are the crossports?

-=-=-=-=-
Pull.

[Elisha 1]

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And there is nothing more I love than unpacking and packing gear that I'm not going to jump.

Boatloads of fun!

[kelpdiver 2]

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Take a look at the attached pic. How does it help you visualize what the canopy is going to look like in the air compared to the words "white with jade ribs"?

This nice thing about this pic (#2) is that you'd think no con artist would use such a lame picture. It's got to be real!

Realistically, jpgs are unreliable for checking color, verifying condition or ownership. But if the picture shows a rainbow pattern triathlon and the seller sends you a black and red one, it's not a matter of misunderstanding him. It's an obvious deviation. So pics give some comfort. A pic of the serial number tag gives some more reason to believe you're not buying a hot canopy.

And many of us do much better seeing the color sequence than reading "dark blue, magenta,light blue, 1white rib" to describe a 9 cell. Shouldn't there be one more color?

I don't see the need for the same scrutiny if I wanted a used part from Bonnie, or you over at ActionAir. But there's preestablished trust already.

[skybytch 259]

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you over at ActionAir

Just to clear up a misconception - I do not now and have not in the past worked at Action Air. I did work for Flite Suit, a different company at the same location, until December of last year. I am not currently employed in the skydiving industry in any way, shape or form.

[Elisha 1]

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That pic is bad since now you've made the White look like silver from Strong

A good point. On my monitor the white does look kinda like silver on one cell and kinda like a dirty gray on the other, and the jade looks more like turquoise (light/bright blue) than jade (which, for those who don't know, is another name for teal - a bluish green). In reality, the white is still white and the jade really is jade.

Jade?? JADE?!?!

That is aqua. Jade is NEVER used as a fabric color. You guys are hella lame.

[Elisha 1]

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you over at ActionAir

Just to clear up a misconception - I do not now and have not in the past worked at Action Air. I did work for Flite Suit, a different company at the same location, until December of last year. I am not currently employed in the skydiving industry in any way, shape or form.

[anal slightly political comment]But aren't they owned by the same person (i.e. Ray)?[/anal comment]

[skybytch 259]

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[anal slightly political comment]But aren't they owned by the same person (i.e. Ray)?[/anal comment]

Yes. Why does that matter?

[kelpdiver 2]

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Just to clear up a misconception - I do not now and have not in the past worked at Action Air. I did work for Flite Suit, a different company at the same location, until December of last year. I am not currently employed in the skydiving industry in any way, shape or form.

sorry about that.

with the same physical presence, as a customer I equate them in terms of service/reputation.

[Elisha 1]

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[anal slightly political comment]But aren't they owned by the same person (i.e. Ray)?[/anal comment]

Yes. Why does that matter?

Because in the eyes of people "in the know", they would be viewed as essentially the same company. I would think (as would most) they it would be impossible to NOT to have some conflict of interest between the businesses. I'll the readers here come up with some examples if they so choose as an exercise.

[IanHarrop 37]

Some of us, myself included, are not very imaginative and seeing a picture is just that much easier for us than trying to visualize things in the theatre of our minds because we're mentally eating pop corn.

So we likes pictures

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[Disodium 0]

And when your selling stuff on the internet pictures help take away some of the "this might be a scam" that people approach online sales with. I know on ebay at least if an item dosent have a real picture (not a stock one from the manufaturer's website) i skip it entirley.

/me runs back into the woodwork to keep saving for AFF, hurry the hell up IRS with that refund!

[mark 104]

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Some of us, myself included, are not very imaginative and seeing a picture is just that much easier for us than trying to visualize things in the theatre of our minds because we're mentally eating pop corn.

So we likes pictures.

I had a white reserve for sale. How much imagination could that possibly require? And yet, "Could you send pics?"

Mark

[GTAVercetti 0]

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Some of us, myself included, are not very imaginative and seeing a picture is just that much easier for us than trying to visualize things in the theatre of our minds because we're mentally eating pop corn.

So we likes pictures.

I had a white reserve for sale. How much imagination could that possibly require? And yet, "Could you send pics?"

Mark

Well, that is just dumb.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[IanHarrop 37]

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Some of us, myself included, are not very imaginative and seeing a picture is just that much easier for us than trying to visualize things in the theatre of our minds because we're mentally eating pop corn.

So we likes pictures.

I had a white reserve for sale. How much imagination could that possibly require? And yet, "Could you send pics?"

Mark

This is where I, as a cynic, have an advantage. I don't expect much from other humans and so I am rarely disappointed!

"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me" Dorothy

[vid666 0]

A picture is worth a thousand words. I am sure that phrase was coined for a reason.

[Remster 24]

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Some of us, myself included, are not very imaginative and seeing a picture is just that much easier for us than trying to visualize things in the theatre of our minds because we're mentally eating pop corn.

So we likes pictures.

I had a white reserve for sale. How much imagination could that possibly require? And yet, "Could you send pics?"

Mark

Well, not knowing who you deal with over the net, its a very basic way to ensure taht there is such an item. Its not foolproof obviously, but its easy enough.

Remster