E-Bay

[mlfrdball]

Hey all, question about purchasing scuba equipment. What are people's thoughts about e-bay? I think I know the answer to this one, but wanted more experienced oppions... I'm not looking for real high quality stuff, but I don't particuarly want to be 60 feet down and my regulator stop working... Thanks!

 

[bcleveland]

I bought a camera on ebay recently. Got a good deal, works fine. Might buy something else that my life didn't depend on, but not a BC or reg.

 

[Kim]

If you get it serviced properly afterwards it doesn't matter if it comes from ebay. You can get some good gear cheap there.

 

[pasley]

Pull up a chair and grab some popcorn, this is going to get good. A search of this forum will get you many replies to this very question.

Now for my comments
1. Typical E-bay seller "knows nothing about scuba stuff, just "selling it for a friend".
2. I have seen numerous SCUBA items on E-bay that were NOT SCUBA (SCBA Tanks and fire extinguishers for example) being sold as SCUBA on e-bay. When I told the seller, he said "I don't know anything about SCUBA" and continued to advertise it as SCUBA tanks.
3. Factor in the cost of all repairs being done with out warranty.
4. Factor in the cost of having the gear checked and serviced before use.
5. It is probably ok to buy used old stuff on e-bay. After all what is the worse that could happen? :dead: Anyway, funerals are inexpensive.
6. There are some good deals on E-bay. No doubt. But you need to be a savvy buyer and know the difference. I see stuff selling all the time on e-bay for more than my local shop charges for it new with warranty.
7. I just choose to buy my life support equipment at my local store, where I can touch it before I buy and touch the guy who sold it to me after the dive. Would I buy a camera or some other non-live support gear used, yes. But I would not buy my regulator, BC or wetsuit (tough to get a good fit) on e-bay.

 

[BigWhiteSquare]

I bought my BC on ebay. I had to get it serviced, but it still ended up being a good deal. Just factor the price of service into anything life-support related that you buy on ebay.

___

 

[Dive-aholic]

I've bought quite a few SCUBA items on ebay. Most of my AL80s and a few of my regs were bought there. I also bought my dry suit on ebay. Like Melvin said, you need to be a savvy buyer. Not everything on ebay is a good deal. And you do need to factor in the cost of service and repair. Every tank I bought was currently hydro'ed. All I had to pay for when I got the tank was VIP and air fill. I still paid less than 2/3 the price of a new tank, including shipping. It also took me several months of watching auctions to find these tanks. This time watching auctions also clued me in to some things to watch for - not all ebay buyers are that savvy. Same with the regs. I paid a fraction of the price of a new one, even when you add in shipping and service. The dry suit - that was probably the best deal I got, but it took about 3 months to find the right one. Just be patient and watch the auctions for a while. You'll know when you're ready to buy, if you're ready to buy.

 

[steve2281]

6. There are some good deals on E-bay. No doubt. But you need to be a savvy buyer and know the difference.

This is the key to buying on E-bay, you have to be a savvy buyer. 1)Know what you want 2)know how much you're willing to pay 3) be willing to wait till you get a good deal.

There is a lot of brand new gear being sold on E-bay. Some of this gear is coming from dive shops at a lower price than they sell in their stores or web-sites. Divers Supply is a good example; they have hundreds of items on ebay.

I've had real good luck and saved a lot of money. Example: brand new drysuit, sold by a dive shop, delivered to my door, $480. I don't have a local shop and service my regs myself, so I don't have to worry about hurting my LDS's feelings. Give it a try.

 

[ryanmacneil8448]

i got my regs off ebay a quater of the price of what i would have paid at the dive shop they were only used for certification i had the LDS check them out ( they were not happy i odnt buy my stuff from them) and i was good to go. so the moral of the story is if you can stand the awkwardness from the lds you can save a bunch of money

 

[DiverBuoy]

be sure and check out the classifieds here on scubaboard ... then you'll more than likely get "real" advice to go along with your purchase

 

[Hammerhead]

Recent eBay purchases: -

Calypso III
Conshelf XI
Conshelf XII

First edition 1959 Cousteau - Diving with the "aqua-lung"

Whoohoo!