Best way to sell my old gear?

[daninmanchester]

I did some diving in early 2000 as a student (no guesses where my student loan went), but had to bow out due to ear problems. since then my gear has been in my parents spare room which I'm clearing out and want some advice on how best to sell this stuff. I see bits and bobs on ebay but then shipping a 15L cylinder and lead isn't practical and perhaps some gear is too specialized?

This is a list of the main bits I have :

Aladin Air (dead battery) with analog compass

DiveRite Rec Wing with quick release weight pockets.
Lead shot bags.

Mares MR22 first stage
Mares Abyss reg
Mares Nikos reg

Uwatec console air pressure gauge with spare slot.

Uwatec depth gauge / dive timer
I used this in the console but I also have the watch strap.

UK D8 torch

Oceanic Flex 2000 dry suit and woolly bear.

Plus a whole bunch of accessories like bag, ankle weights, hood, gloves, etc

What sort of prices do you think I'm looking at, bearing in mind most of it is almost as good as new < 25 dives
It would make a complete set for someone starting out although the cylinder will be out of test and it hasn't been serviced.
It would be nice to sell it all at once but I'm not fussed about listing what I can on ebay and trying to find a route to sell other bits locally.

What do you think is the best way to sell all this?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Honestly Ebay is probably your best vbet to get any real money out of it. No active diver such as are found here is going to pay top dollar or pound as the case may be for 13 year old gear that has not been serviced, could have dried out components, and in the case of your computer a dead battery. I hope the battery has not been in all this time as it may have leaked. Would make a fun paperweight though.

 

[daninmanchester]

All appears to be functioning a much as you can test it in a spare room, but to be fair I wouldn't dive with it all until it had been checked over.
I think I did get some bits serviced I forget which, I'll have to dig out all my documents shortly.
The computer hasn't been serviced as that was the last bit of kit I bought shortly before I gave up. It's not user serviceable as far as I recall but I do recall a buddy changing the battery in his (against warranty type advice).

So how much is it for servicing these days?
Cylinder, Rec Wing, Full reg set, computer.

And the UK D8 was a great torch back then, but I guess with LED and new battery technology its a bit dated now. Same for the computer although the Uwatec watch is still a handy backup in your console.

To be honest part of me wants to dust this off and get it serviced and start diving again, which would get the most value out of it all after a quick service!

 

[Jim Lapenta]

There ya go! Now that's the smartest way to get real value out of it. The wing should be fine, tanks will need hydro and visual. No idea what that will run in the UK. Over here less than 50 bucks. reg service anywhere from 125 to 150 bucks unless the dealer is trying to screw someone over.

 

[spectrum]

If there is a glimmer of diver left in you getting it wet would be the best use of it all.

For resale it's just old dormant gear, not vintage, not special with some items due for service so an intelligent offer will be a small fraction of new.

Ebay is an option but with shipping and fees you return can dwindle.

I'm sure you have some sort of local for sale sites like our Craigslist, that's a no frills low overhead approach. You have a local market and they do tend to be bottom feeders. All you need is one person looking to get into some gear at a fair price.

Pete

 

[elmer fudd]

I can tell you how not to do it.

Don't put it on Craigslist with any of the following:

1) Paid $2000 new, won't last at $1800!!!!

Yes it will. Even if I were your exact same size and the equipment were completely unused, I'd still get it at the LDS instead. They offer exchanges and will give me free air if I occasionally buy from them. Used and a few years out of date, there's no chance in hell I'd buy it.

2) No lowballers!

No replies either. Nothing says don't bother making an offer like, "no lowballers".

3) No price.

If you won't name a price it's probably because you're trying to gouge me.

4) Sold as a package only.

You better prepare to sell it for almost nothing then. We all come in different shapes and sizes and most of us have some existing gear already. Trying to find that person that's the same height and weight as you, wants to buy a full set of gear and wants stuff from over a decade ago is going to be next to impossible.

 

[fjpatrum]

Try diving again. Your ear issues may have "fixed themselves" and then you can enjoy it all again. That equipment is perfectly fine (once serviced) and will keep you wet for years to come. If you must sell it, check for selling prices of things on here and on Ebay and price your gear accordingly.

Alternatively, if you're in the UK or Europe, donate it to a club and let them service it. Clubs often have "spare" gear that the club maintains (as I understand it--no personal experience) and that might be a good way to make sure it's well serviced and put to good use, though not a good financial return for you.

 

[toddthecat]

Take it to your LDS. If you walked in with that Mares MR22/Abyss/Nikos setup our ech would take a look at it and see what condition it was in. If in good shape we'd make you an offer on it in a second, especially since we use those as student regs. Some LDSs won't do this, some do. You might be able to find a shop that will buy it.

Don't waste your time with eBay. They just raised their fees dramatically. You're instantly losing 10% of whatever it sells for plus around 3% to eBay-owned PayPal. If you think you won't get people trying to be "lowballers" on eBay you've got another thing coming. There are a lot of buyers on eBay who have this sense of entitlement and that they should be able to get whatever you have for sale for pretty much free.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I agree that selling it to or through a local dive shop is best. Given the age but limited use, it may have best value as in house training gear. It should also be sold only after appropriate inspection and servicing. Some shops have special used gear sale events, and if you display it in one of those it may also be effective.
DivemasterDennis

 

[diversteve]

If the Uwatec is one of those oil-filled models you're looking at a big mess to try to self-change the battery. If it's square it probably is. I have a dead Sport Ultra that's about the same vintage. My dealer wanted $150 plus they had to send it in.

The battery is welded (not soldered) in place. That old, the gasket may not be re-usable - IDK where/if you can still get one. The oil is some sort of specialized electrical transformer oil - Google it. It doesn't need to be pressurized but the case needs to be full with no bubbles so it works accurately.

If you're planning to dive again there's a number of $200ish Air/Nitrox computers available now. (US prices)

UK still sells the D8. Over here they're $82 new with the dual Xenon bulbs.