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Mailman43

classifieds question

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Hi,

I'm a skydiver with broken time looking to get back into the sport. Trying to buy a used rig from the classifieds here. I'm unsure of how the buying process works. Is there a specific means of protection or is it simply between you and the seller? I have my eye on a couple systems but obviously want to avoid scams. Thanks.

Nick

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It's entirely up to you which route you take. You can go directly between the seller or you can use a rigger as a 3rd party for the transaction. Going with a rigger or another 3rd party (Chutingstar, for example) allows you to have your gear inspected prior to sending money (other than shipping) so you don't get a dud.

However, some sellers prefer not to go through the hassle and there are plenty of folks looking for gear who will indulge them.

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Leaving your phone number is another way. I usually talk to the people or text instead of email. Sometimes they friend me on Facebook too and I realize we have some friends in common too. Its not fool proof but it helps to know if they are at least a real person. Talk to them about skydiving too, see if the slang is right. How much info do they give about the gear in detail. I get people asking To buy my canopy with no questions, just what's your paypal email... Scam!

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There is a commonly accepted procedure, where the seller ships the gear to a mutually agreed upon rigger or dealer or something, it gets inspected and if it's good the money changes hands. Search "rigger as escrow" for more info on how it works.

Not all sellers are willing to do this, and it doesn't automatically mean that it's a scam. There are a lot of smaller dealers who have excellent reputations who sell stuff through the classifieds.

You can check a seller out fairly easily, though. It's a small enough sport that the chances of someone at your DZ knowing someone at the sellers DZ and being able to do a quick check on their reputation is a pretty easy process.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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Ok thanks. I'm currently trying to negotiate with someone on a rig that seems to be too good to be true. Vector
V3,Sabre2,PD reserve, and Sigil for $3800. 9 jumps total.Dom 2010 on all. Getting out of the sport and is selling cheap.

Wanted to immediately exchange shipping and payment terms. I asked for serial numbers since many of the ads here have serials listed in the ad. He said he won't do that for fear of misuse of those numbers. So I asked for a drop zone or Rigger he may know. Still waiting to hear back.

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No question this is a scam. Guy replied with a riggers name. First name only and didn't give me the name of the dz he supposedly jumps at. So I call this guy. He could barely speak English. All he could say was the rig is good to go. I asked him details that he couldn't answer. So I asked what dz he worked at. He then hung up. So I'm going to report this.

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Mailman43

No question this is a scam. Guy replied with a riggers name. First name only and didn't give me the name of the dz he supposedly jumps at. So I call this guy. He could barely speak English. All he could say was the rig is good to go. I asked him details that he couldn't answer. So I asked what dz he worked at. He then hung up. So I'm going to report this.




I think I was dealing with this guy last week. I forwarded it to the Abuse section and reported it via the link but never saw them post anything. He wanted me to contact his rigger in London but would not kick over serial numbers. I even ended up finding the pictures he used on some russian board from 2011.

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Check in with the Chutingstar gear store. They have an escrow program where they will receive used gear from a seller and inspect it for the buyer. Provided it passes, they will collect payment from the buyer, and the pass the money to the seller and the gear to the buyer. I'm pretty sure the escrow service is free, all you pay for is the inspections on the gear (which you need and presumably would have to pay for anyway).

They are a well known and established gear dealer / rigging loft, and any seller not willing to use their program is likely hiding something or is a pain in the ass.

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davelepka


Check in with the Chutingstar gear store. They have an escrow program where they will receive used gear from a seller and inspect it for the buyer. Provided it passes, they will collect payment from the buyer, and the pass the money to the seller and the gear to the buyer. I'm pretty sure the escrow service is free, all you pay for is the inspections on the gear (which you need and presumably would have to pay for anyway).

They are a well known and established gear dealer / rigging loft, and any seller not willing to use their program is likely hiding something or is a pain in the ass.



I highly recommend Chutingstar.

I used them last month to facilitate a sale and they were extremely helpful. They did a through inspection of the rig that I was selling and held on to it until I had the money. It was very simple and both partied benefited.
Dano

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I usually send a few emails and chat with the person. Ask some skydiving questions and see if the lingo is there. You can tell most of the time. Jump locations...do you know so an so? Did you see that one video? Where did you buy this gear from originally. Even if that all pans out there is no gaurantee that it will work out. However, I have had no problems whatsoever with the gear I have bought and sold on the classifieds. All with no 3rd party.

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BigMark

I normally check to see how long they have been registered and if the profile is filled out, why would you want to pay for shipping twice on a full rig unless you live by a chutingstar location? It's trust both ways...



Because for an item costing over $1000, an extra $50 or so for shipping is a small cost for peace of mind.

There are enough threads on here that go "I bought (insert canopy, H/C, ect. here) off of the classifieds, it's not as represented (holes, size, condition, ect.) and now the seller won't return my calls or e-mails. What do I do?"

If I don't know the seller, or can't find someone I know to offer assurances of their reliability (often not all that hard to do), then I either do an escrow deal through Chutingstar or someplace similar or I move on.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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