I love looking for and buying used stuff. It helps if you know exactly what you want, and are willing to be patient and wait for a good deal to surface. That means spending time every day trawling the boards' classifieds sections to see if today will be 'your day'. Is it a slow process? Sure, but the deals you'll obtain will be absolutely worth it, and the high you get from acquiring a bargian is also priceless. People are always thinning out their dive closets, often to make room for new stuff, so there are definitely deals to be had.
In the past 18-months, I've finished pillaging my SO's dive closet (he's chucked his open circuit gear in favor of a rebreather) and turned my focus onto other people's unwanted items. I've acquired a used regulator, a set of doubles (with manifolds and bands), a singles wing, and a canister light for very decent prices. The merchandise was shipped without incident, and the equipment has all worked flawlessly. It's gotten to the point where I simply don't see the logic of buying anything new...no, I tell a lie. Some specific top-quality items don't turn up very often, because no-one wants to get rid of them, so there are times when one must bite the bullet and order the new item in question directly from the manufacturer. Oh, the horror.