Buying canopy jumped in the desert?

[flyingketty 0]

I am about to buy a canopy from Arizona, which is 1 year old and has 50 jumps on it (according to the seller). Is -30% a fair price for a canopy jumped in such conditions? What I should be aware of in that case? Will the canopy last less because of those first 50 desert jumps?

[RiggerLee 61]

It will be easy to pack. Canopies that live there do have shorter life spans. The lines need to be replaced more often. But it's only 50 jumps. That's like one good long boogie. If he hasn't gotten it real dusty it wont be bad at all. I wouldn't worry that much about it. Even if you baught a brand new canopy you should make trip to Eloy for the Christmas New Years Eve boogie any way. And then it will have 50 desert jumps on it any way. And then you should take it to South Padre and then it will have beach jumps on it. And then you should do water jumps with it...

 

Lee

[Maddingo 21]

 

Microscopic picture of sand. Now imagine that rubbing against parachute materials and you'll get a pretty good idea.  Or rub some sand against your skin and see what will it feel like.

[skybytch 259]

If you are at all worried about the condition of any piece of used gear that you are interested in, insist that the purchase not be made final (ie seller doesn't cash your check) until you have had a chance to have your rigger inspect it.  Actually I would suggest that even if you aren't worried about the condition.  
But like Lee said, after 50ish jumps, even in the desert, it should still be like new.  The only other thing I would add is that condition also depends on the care given to it.  If it was tossed down on the grass and not packed for a few hours on a regular basis there is an increased possibility of fabric degradation due to UV rays. Was is consistently trunk packed, and was that trunk clean (ie no grease or battery acid, etc)? Did it go to Burning Man, did a cat pee on it, did the previous jumper get injured and get blood on it, the list goes on and on.  
This is where the inspection by your rigger is so important.  They will be able to find any issues that may have been caused by any of the above and/or things you might have missed in a quick visual inspection.  It will probably cost less than $20 and it will be worth every penny if the rigger finds anything wrong with it.

As for price, are you talking 30% less than list price, or 30% less than what they paid for it new (usually 20-25% off list price) or 30% less than what they are asking?  How does the asking price compare with other similar used canopies on the market?