Used gear

[mountainman 0]

Hey all!
I am wondering where everyone has found the best place (price and quality) to get used gear at. I am talking things like complete rigs for newbies and such.
Everyone can just post on here where they would recommend looking for used gear. Thanks!!
Blue skies
NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/

[BadDog 0]

I like to get stuff off ebay auctions and dropzone.com auctions and classifieds, but you have to work at it to get the right deals. To take some of the risk out of it and still get decent deals, try Rigs N Things or Sunshine Factory.
CorporateLawyerDave aka BadDog

[slotperfect 7]

I recommend Sky Kat at Skydive Raeford, NC. They update their used gear list http://www.skykat.com/usedgear2.htm often, and Tony can keep a look out for what you want if he doesn't have it now. He and his wife Kate run the shop; they are GREAT people. They are BIG on customer satisfaction. Tell them I sent you!
Plus, I am out there often, so if you wanted a DZ.com'er to go check the gear out in person. I'll be happy to. I am also a Rigger, if that helps. I know you don't know me from Adam, but I'm glad to help if I can.
Respectfully,
SP

[mountainman 0]

thanks a lot....i'll be sure to check around for this stuff. I like that website for Skykat. Very well organized and looks like they have a lot of stuff.
Anyway, thanks a lot!
NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/

[skybytch 259]

Square One has a pretty good sized list of used gear too.
http://www.square1.com/2000/usedstock2000.htm List is updated at least once a week, includes used gear at Square 2 and Square 3.
pull and flare,
lisa

[mountainman 0]

Hey....thanks a lot BYTCH!! I'll check that out too..
NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/

[mountainman 0]

I was also wondering. If you buy something from E-bay, an online place, etc, how can you make sure that there is nothing wrong with the rig? What is the best way to find out?
I would love to think that all skydivers can trust each other to no end, but sometimes, the almighty buck is too strong for someone to succumb to, and you end up getting screwed.
Any advice would be awesome!!
NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/

[Merrick 0]

Man I'll tell ya, the best place I've found is the Dropzone Auctions & Classifieds. I bought my rig (J4, Sabre 190, PD176R, new cypress.. 500 jumps) for $2,200, and Pam's rig (Dolphin, Triathlon 160, Tempo reserve, 99' cypress... 70 jumps) for $2,250. I got both of them off of the auctions right here on dz.com.... seemed like a damn good deal if you ask me. All the gear is in like new condition, there's even a Latin guy at our DZ that called me el wesel grande for getting gear in such great condition so cheap.
Another great place for used gear is the Skydiver's Enclave
"Peace & Blu Skyzz!"
Merrick

[Merrick 0]

Between buying gear for both Pam & I, I've purchased two full sets of gear, and with the exception of the jumpsuits everything was purchased used (Rigs, Helmets, Dytters, Altimeters, etc..). On all equipment I had made a deal that if the gear wasn't on the up-n-up then I could return it. Since most correspondence was thru email, I had the agreement in writing... We had absolutely no problems with any of the purchases (other than a small tear in the lining of one of the z1's I wasn't aware of).
Good Luck man, and if you have any more specific questions feel free to email me.
"Peace & Blu Skyzz!"
Merrick

[Dutchboy 0]

Quote

I was also wondering. If you buy something from E-bay, an online place, etc, how can you make sure that there is nothing wrong with the rig? What is the best way to find out?

Use an escrow service like iescrow.com. I did on a used rig I was looking at. I've very glad I did. It was totally not as advertised. He claimed 300 jumps, and my rigger said at least 1300, the canopy had been stored in a damp basement for a couple of years. Basically the thing was worth at most a couple hundred bucks, not the $1200 he wanted. My rigger said if I had jumped this rig I'd certainly be dead. It wasn't even packed correctly. I was very pissed about spending the money for shipping and the escrow fee, but glad I wasn't out $1200.
I would check around locally first and see what you find. Most people are honest, but this guy (from California) didn't seem to care if he killed me or not.

[mountainman 0]

Hey Merrick...thanks for the info. I will certainly keep checking the auctions in here. (what do you think of this one just for kicks?? http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/auctionDB/auction.pl?action=item&item=70 Thanks for the site too. That has a lot of stuff!!
Dutchboy....that is a good idea with the escrow service. How does that really work?? I've never really heard of those before. Thanks!!
NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/

[mountainman 0]

I am also wondering if you find better deals (from your own experience) by buying them in seperate pieces or complete rigs??
Thanks again!NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/

[flyboy62000 0]

mountainman,
Normally you give the escrow company the money for the item. Then once they have the money the seller will send you the rig. If you like the rig then you have the escrow company release the money to the seller. If you don't like it you send it back to the seller and once he has it the escrow company will give your money back (usually charge a small fee). Basically the money is handled by the third party so no one gets screwed. The buyer can't get the item and withhold payment and the seller can't just keep the money if the item is no good. I hope the info helps you on your quest for gear.
Blue Skies,
Adam

[mountainman 0]

Hey adam....that is a cool thing then. especially for stuff so complicated and not widely known as skydiving gear. I'll definetely keep that in mind when the time comes for a couple of rigs.
blues
NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/

[slotperfect 7]

The Fury is a 220 sq ft 7-cell F-111 canopy. It is a GOOD canopy, but I would recommend against it unless you wanted that type airfoil for a specific purpose. Also, the rig looks like it has been well taken care of, but 1000 jumps is a lot for a rig.
When you piece together gear you are more likely to end up with exactly what you want, but make sure you have someone helping you that is either a Rigger or knows a lot about gear. There are compatibility issues involved, and you don't want to end up with two components that don't fit. For example, you may end up with a main that is too big for your container!?!?
Respectfully,
SP

[Zennie 0]

I agree with merrick. Some of the best deals are to be found right here!
I found a used Vector III with about 200 jumps for $650. I felt pretty good about the seller so we worked out an arrangement where I sent him half, had my rigger inspect it, and then paid the remaining half after he gave the thumbs up. The escrow service is a good idea as well.
FWIW. My rigger was amazed at what good condition the container was in. So there are good deals to be had. You just need to shop around.
My entire rig cost me about $3300. That's with a like-new Vector III, a Sabre 150 with 300 jumps and a brand new Cypres & PD160 reserve (from Square 1). Not bad IMHO.
------------
Blue Skies!
Zennie

[mountainman 0]

Thanks for all the awesome advice. There are so many places to check around and so many people wanting to take advantage these days, it's good to have so many people (fellow skydivers) willing to help out!
I really liked the 1/2 now and 1/2 after thumbs up deal! That would really work well! Thanks again for all the info and I'll be sure to have a rigger help me out since I probalby won't know enough to assemble thing thing that will save my life over and overblue skies and "like-new" containers for cheap!
NEW AND IMPROVED!!!
http://home.woh.rr.com/brandonandlaura/