EirAnne

I met Gary back in 1998/1999. We were running a Skydive University one on one event, called 'The Search'. Gary was one of the people who attended, he was 17 years old and it was his first time in the U.S. It was fantastic to meet him, he was easily the most enthusiastic person there. At the end of the event, he said that he was going to stay in the U.S. and become a full time skydiver. He was so young, so determined and so fired up. It was great. I hope that wherever he is, the next journey is just as exciting. x PS. Can someone please tell whoever is in charge that the Swiss cliffs need to stop gobbling up our best people.

I have no problems with someone buying this rig and re-selling it if the transaction is genuine. Free trade. However, if I had bought this rig in these circumstances and it only had 20 jumps then I would start with the reasonable assumption that the person who ordered it from new was the owner. I have been told that it was sold by someone who started AFF and didn't finish. That information could easily be checked by contacting Sunpath with the serial number. After a couple of quick checks and no foul play, then the new owner gets a great bargain and makes some smart money with a clear conscience.

Now that it is in the real skydiving classifieds, it would be nice to think that the new owner has made an effort to check out whether it has been lost or stolen before putting it up for resale.

Maybe it was in my cache. It is no longer posted.

I just had a look - it is still up there. The wording on the article is obviously not by someone familiar with skydiving as is the pricing of the rig. It is either someone who has been given this genuinely who doesn't know what it is worth, or someone who has got hold of this by some other means. If it is a lost or stolen item, it would be nice for it to go back to its' owner before it gets 'lost' again.

Here is an ad on Craigslist for what looks like a reasonable Javelin container. It is being sold by someone who knows nothing about it. Asking price $50!!! If anyone has heard of a rig going missing in and around the Phoenix area, then this ad might be worth pursuing. If it is genuine, pick yourself up a bargain. Blue skies

It will just about fit, but that depends a lot on your packing skills and whether you can be bothered with the sweat and tears after every load or if you use a packer having them avoid you like the plague. It also depends on whether you mind that your rig will be stretched to accommodate the extra bulk so that when you go down to a canopy size which is a better fit for the container the fabric will look pretty ugly.

I had a recent experience on the classifieds forum that I think goes against the spirit of the forum and is quite unethical. I wondered if it was an isolated incident, or if this kind of thing happens regularly. Scenario: Someone had their rig for sale. It was a good price and nice looking rig. I offered to buy the rig at the full price. The offer was accepted and after several emails I had got to the point with the seller that we had agreed to do the deal through a particular dz using Escrow. We had agreed a time, a place and an amount, pending inspection of the rig. The next email informed me that another person had offered a higher amount. I was told the amount and was encouraged to place a higher bid. At no time during the correspondence was I informed that the seller was negotiating with other buyers. I no longer trusted the integrity of the seller and withdrew my original offer. The seller pleaded ignorance of the code of conduct of the forum. I found this disturbing for a couple of reasons: 1) DZ.com is not an auction site. Sellers can put in best offer on their advertisement and can take the highest offer, but if they solicit higher bids who is to say whether those bids are genuine. A seller should not be in charge of a private auction. 2) If the seller had used Ebay, they would have run the risk of the rig going for a lower amount than they wanted. By setting up a private auction and being the person in charge, they were stacking the deck. They get the minimum they want and try and push the upper limit as high as possible, with a few buyers bidding against each other, but no one really knowing the full details. Obviously I lost no money on this deal and whether other people choose to enter into a private bidding war is their own concern., but I do think that using the forum in this manner lays it open to abuse. Most auctions are done through a 3rd party for a very good reason.

Pete Allum and Joey Jones will be holding a second 16-way Invitational in Empuriabrava during the Christmas Boogie. The event is being organized by Inner Rhythm Coaching. 28th Dec is warm-up day. 29 + 30th 16-ways. 31st Dec - 32-ways. Price 320 Euros includes 10 x 16-ways and 2 x 32-way skydives and also includes all coaching and video. It will also include registration for the Christmas Boogie (45 Euros). If you have the necessary skills and are interested in participating, please contact [email protected] or [email protected] Groups will be assigned based on ability. Thanks and blue skies Anne

The Project 2009 The Project has unexpectedly had 3 slots become available due to last-minute cancellations. This years’ event will take place from 18 – 21st June inclusive. We can accommodate a group, 4-way team of any level or can take individuals of beginner to expert abilities who will be paired with others of similar skills. The event is a 4 way skills camp (3 on 1 format), incorporating world class coaching, and will be held at one of the finest drop zones in the world, Empuriabrava, Spain. As in 2007 and 2008 the coaches include world class competitors Pete Allum, Shannon Pilcher and Ian Bobo. For information on The Project 2008 please check out the following link: http://www.ukskydiver.co.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=199:the-project-2008-&catid=13:uk-banter&Itemid=156 Each person will make 20 coached 4-way jumps with video included as part of the package. This is a fantastic opportunity to get expert coaching from World-class 4 way coaches and competitors. The only requirements are good basic skydiving skills and a desire to learn. The event has a limited number of participants to ensure the perfect coach/player ratio. It is a rare opportunity to be coached by and jump with the best 4-way people in the world. You are guaranteed the best skydives of your life! Current pricing is 1285 Euros per person to include all slot/video/coaching costs, the end of camp dinner and entry into the prize draw. Travel and accommodation are not included. For more information or to register, please go to: http://www.innerrhythmcoaching.com or contact me direct at: [email protected]

In theory the idea sounds really great to turn up at a European dropzone when you are short of cash, stay for a couple of days over a busy weekend, make a few hundred Euros and then keep on travelling for a bit longer. This idea makes the following assumptions: 1. You have done your homework and you know which drozones are busy and where professional packing is an accepted service on the dropzone. 2. You are a professional packer. i.e. you can pack all types and sizes of canopies into all types and sizes of rigs in a short amount of time. (In Europe the variety of mains and containers is vastly greater than in the U.S.). 3. You are prepared to turn up, introduce yourself and hang around making yourself useful until a slot becomes available and then when one does, you prove your ability and willingness to work. Dropzones in Europe are not that much different from dropzones in the U.S. (except the beer and the coffee are way better), ask yourself if a stranger with your experience level could just turn up at your local dropzone and immediately pick up a steady supply of work. If the answer if yes, then you shouldn't have any problems over there either. Best of luck

I agree. First and foremost, if you are buying gear and not a rigger or instructor yourself, you should get the gear checked out by a rigger. On the other hand, if the rig has been checked out by one reputable rigger, it shouldn't need a second inspection. I don't know any riggers that will lay their reputation on the line to dupe anyone out of a couple of hundred dollars. Anyone that does, won't last long in this business. To qualify the post I am a rigger. Maybe there are some people out there whose rigging ticket came in a lucky bag, but they are easy to differentiate from expert riggers. Most people do not want to send their equipment out of town without payment. I think that by offering to have an independent local rigger inspect the gear they are showing good faith.

It seems like the posting has stirred up a can of worms. I had hoped that it was just another innovative way of trying to raise some funding. I understand that sending money directly to a charity will ensure that all of that money is spent for that purpose. JFTC on the other hand, is about raising money for charity AND creating a skydiving event that generates a huge amount of positive publicity for our sport. It shouldn't be a competition between the two and it certainly serves no good purpose to trash the event. For anyone who would like to verify my identity, my JFTC participant page is: http://jftc.jumpforthecause.com/profiles/annemaxwell

Some British friends recently advised me that it was more expensive to cash the checks in their UK banks than the value of the checks themselves. I haven't checked into the costs for every country, but am offering the JTFC option for those who have run into that issue.

If you live outside the U.S. and have received a refund from your Skydiving magazine subscription and have discovered that it will cost more to cash it in than it is worth I would like to be cheeky and suggest a way to put the money to good use. If you send it to me I will put all of the money towards my Jump For the Cause sponsorship target. If you are interested in putting the money to a good cause, please PM me and I will send you details of where to send the money. Thanks and blue skies Anne PS Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, please feel free to move it.

Without going into this in great detail, this was one of the early transactions that I did when I first began buying and selling gear back in 2007. I reread the transcripts of this particular transaction before replying to this thread. The whole correspondence was mired by misunderstandings and suffered greatly from being conducted long distance via email. Myself and the buyer could not come to an agreement on the end price of a piece of equipment listed for sale; which was clouded by after market add-ons such as an AAD and rigging which were not part of the initial posting. I could have made the transaction much simpler and clearer upfront and this would have prevented the misunderstandings that arose. A simple phone call would probably have worked wonders! I eventually chose to remove the item from the classifieds and re-listed at a later date with additional components at a higher price. No money changed hands, all items were as described and I do not accept that there was anything dishonest about the correspondence. However, that being said, this was not my finest moment in customer relations. On-line disagreements rarely produce satisfactory outcomes. I would like to think that I learned a lot about how not to do business from this and that most customers that I deal with these days have a positive experience. I would like to make the distinction that the initial thread was posted to address fraud and theft through the classifieds.

I think when you post negative comments and name names, then it should not rest on the opinion of just one person; like feedback does, especially if that person is the injured party. A third party, with no vested interest (moderator) would be required to examine a complaint of foul play and create a black list of buyers or sellers. This person could then no longer do business on dz.com. Whether those names were then published is another matter. We pride ourselves on having a unique community where we can rely on a certain level of honesty (I am not just kidding myself am I?) How then do we protect our group from a small number of people who choose to exploit this without creating huge overkill?

I can't post names, I think that is not within the rules of the forum, but will PM you.

I have had a couple of very bad experiences recently buying gear on dz.com and am losing some faith in my fellow skydivers. These are not ‘scam’ people, but actual skydivers with dropzones and user profiles that are verifiable. Is this just a co-incidence or is there an upward trend in people using the classifieds to rip other people off? 1. 3 months ago I bought a used Vengeance 97. My old one had over 1500 jumps and I thought that I would get one with half that number and a newish lineset. The canopy arrived and the lineset looked like it had far more than the 100- 150 jumps that were supposed to be on it. After 25 jumps, I got tired of truly horrible openings and gave the canopy to PD to be test jumped. Their opinion was that the canopy had so many jumps (1500+) and so many problems that it was not cost effective to fix it and destroying it would be the best way to go. I tried to contact the owner about the liberties taken in her assessment of the jump numbers etc of her canopy only to have all communications returned as no longer in service. Unfortunately by the time this canopy had been through the investigation system, I was outside of the dates of making a claim for a refund. Whilst I do accept that there is an element of risk buying through classifieds, the owner certainly did a number on me. 2. I recently bought a PD 193 reserve through the classifieds on the website. The owner had a reasonable profile and was obviously a skydiver. The canopy was listed in the Reserves section and when I contacted the owner I told them that if they could confirm that this was a reserve PD193 that I would buy it for the asking price ($525 including shipping). It was all confirmed in writing. The canopy arrived and lo and behold it was a 7 cell sport main 193. I contacted the owner who was ever so sorry, said he would refund the money and blamed his rigger for giving him wrong advice on the type of canopy he had and how and where to list it. Haven’t heard from him since, despite multiple emails. I paid through Paypal, but when I went through their resolution center discovered that they only cover goods that are not received. If purchased through Ebay I may have had some means of recovery. Thankfully, I also purchased this item on my credit card and am now working through them to get the money refunded. I have retained a full email copy of this transaction and it is pretty straightforward, including the fact that the owner has admitted responsibility. I am still not certain, however, that the money will be refunded and it could take up to 90 days. Does anyone have any other suggestions of ways of getting money refunded in the event of being ripped off? Yes I do feel stupid. I was not sufficiently aware of the limits of protection when using Paypal.

Well, you also choose not to post any information about yourself. Some people just like some anonymity. I try not to buy gear from someone with no information posted, for me it is a red flag. If you do buy gear, pay through a method that will protect you such as paypal. Never send cash or checks to people you don't know. Never send money overseas via Western Union to people you don't know or whose identity you cannot verify. This is a sport with a strong sense of community, every skydiver completed their student training somewhere, so they should be able to name an instructor or rigger who can vouch for them. Don't just take their word, follow up. It is pretty simple, if they can't, don't buy from them. Don't be afraid to walk away from any deal, there will always be another one. There is always some element of risk when buying through classifieds, rather than dealing locally. You have to accept that risk and make it as small as possible.

The Project has 4 slots still available for this years event from 24 – 27th July inclusive. We can accommodate a group of any level or can take individuals of beginner to expert abilities who will be paired with others of similar skills. This year we are also offering 4 way teams the chance to attend as a group. One person can rotate out on each jump, so that the group can gain the maximum advantage of jumping with their coach. The event is a 4 way skills camp (3 on 1 format), incorporating world class coaching, and will be held at one of the finest drop zones in the world, Empuriabrava, Spain. As in 2007 this year the coaches include Pete Allum, Shannon Pilcher and Ian Bobo. For information on The Project 2007 please check out the following link: http://web.mac.com/peteallum/iWeb/Site/Project 07-08.html Each person will make 20 coached 4 way jumps with video included as part of the package. This is a fantastic opportunity to receive sponsored, expert coaching from World-class 4 way coaches and competitors. The only requirements are good basic skydiving skills and a desire to learn. The event has a limited number of participants to ensure the perfect coach/player ratio. Current pricing is 1175 Euros per person to include all slot/video/coaching costs, the end of camp dinner and entry into the prize draw. Travel and accommodation are not included. For more information or to register, please go to: http:/innerrhythmcoaching.com

Yes, you are right. However, I still think it is a suitable canopy for her size and weight.

It says on the post that the DOM for the Cypres 2 is 04/05. How is that 10 years old?

Getting back to the questions asked. Firstly the size of the main is reasonable for your weight and experience level. The Spectre is a good entry level canopy and has predictable openings. It is not as zippy as a Sabre2 as it is a 7 cell and is not tapered, but maybe save that for your next canopy. I am concerned that you are thinking of purchasing a reserve that is so much smaller than your main. With a 170 main, a 176 or 160 reserve is appropriate. Bear in mind that if you need to use the reserve, you are likely to be low and the chances of landing off are increased. Do you really want to now be in the position of jumping a much smaller canopy as well? In that situation, wouldn't you want every last bit of square footage over your head that you can get with your low experience level? The Spectre in the J1 will be tight (it would be ok in J1K), making packing a challenge, but it is not dangerously so. It will just look a bit ugly. Looking at the pricing of the rig. It appears steep. The Cypres is worth about $1025 according to the cypres evaluation chart. The J1 would be around $600 - 750 depending on condition. PD143 is not worth more than $600 and the Spectre around $800. Altogether you are looking at not more than $3200 tops for entire thing. Look on classifieds to give you a rounded picture of what is available on the market. I would suggest that for $3800 you should be able to pick up a J2K with reserve, Cypres 2 and Nice main. You can put a 160 reserve in there. I am an instructor/rigger and new/used gear dealer. Blue skies