What are best deals on used gear that you have scored? Advice on buying used gear? Rate this deal

[NYCDiverBlue]

Hello,

I am thinking of buying used gear on eBay, Craigslist, etc. Yet, there are several factors that go into buying used gear. If one has time to wait, one may be able to score a great deal on Ebay, craigslist, garage sale, etc. But what is a great deal? What % off? In what condition? How old?

How would rate this deal that I found? Brand New Aeris Oceans 5 BC XXL for $125 It sold while I was contemplating this deal. There is still a small size available at the link. How common is it to find deals such as this?
New in the bag AERIS 5 OCEANS bcd, Small 20545102991 | eBay

At the very bottom of this post, I ask what would be a great price on a package purchase I am considering. Contemplating this deal below caused me to miss the one above.

Please could you tell me about the great deals on used gear that you have scored. How old was it? What condition was it in? How much was it new? How much did you pay for it? How much time do you spend looking for deals? Any ways to streamline the search process? Advice on where to buy gear(Ebay, Craigslist, Goodwill, Garage sales)? Any others? What advice do you have for buying used gear by type? Should one expect or try to get a bigger discount if buying a lot of gear(i.e. entire setup for one person(reg, bc, wetsuit, fins, etc)? How often can one find great deals if one just spends a bit of time looking? Is much more of a buyer's market than seller's market?

How much should one pay for a great deal for each of the following items below provided the items have good reputations and are in good condition(e.g wetsuits tend to degrade with time but usage from repeated compression/decompression) (pls say what age range the item should be for the price) :

• regulator
• regulator with octopus and gauges
• bc
• wetsuit
• dive computer
• knife
• fins
• boots
• hood
• Al tank
• steel tank
• dry suit
• dive light
• entire BP/W setup (is my initial impression that BP/W setups hold their value better on resale? I know this may be asking this question of the choir of BP/W)

What would be a great price on the following? The reason I didn't buy the Aeris Oceans above is that I am eyeing a package deal on craigslist in my old hometown that I will visit and would like your advice. The set includes all well regarded(from the forums) and good condition, 4 years old and supposedly used only a couple of times: regulator/octopus/gauges(psi, depth, compass), bc, wetsuit, steel tank, rolling dive bag, small titanium knife, flashlight, hoodie. From the pics, the gear looks in very good condition. What would a great price for the above. Please give a range.

Thanks
Malcolm

PS. Would it be appropriate to cross post this post to the classified sections of each of the pieces of equipment of scuba board forums and then link back to here so that all of the discussion occurs here? My thinking is that there are some that read the classifieds who have the experiential knowledge that I am seeking yet won't read this sub forum to find this post. Please advise as I want to act appropriately in the forum. thanks

 

[divad]

That's a little like asking "how long is a piece of string", but,..... someone will probably give you the answer.

 

[NAM001]

I wont say who the dealer is but it is known by many. At the end of the year of mid year you get opportunity to buy demo gear. One such offering was dive computers. I was offered one at 1/2 price. You all can deduce whether this was accident or deliberate.... when i ordered the computer so did perhaps 100 others. since the shop did not take the offer down when the 1 or 2 were gone. they aquired and delivered all that ordered a computer at the price advertized. As result many of us got new 8-90 dollar computers for 4-500. What a way to get around map constraints. ans then another time in a similar incident the box seal was cut open. that is one of the 2 ends were cut open and it was sold as open merchandise.

 

[2airishuman]

• regulator with octopus and gauges - I usually figure $35 a stage (so $105 for the whole works) and plan on servicing the reg, replacing the SPG, and replacing the hoses. I buy regs that are 20+ years old.
  
• bc - Varies widely depending on age and condition. Unlike regs, BCs do not last forever. Figure 50-75% the street price of new
  
• wetsuit - Fit is a huge deal with these, so I find that shopping for used just isn't worth it
  
• dive computer - Most older ones are junk and most newer ones sell for 80% of street. My advice is to buy new
  
• knife - Varies widely. I don't carry a knife, just an inexpensive linecutter
  
• fins- Shipping charges and fit problems make this one hard to pull off
  
• boots - Figure $20 a pair
  
• hood- Cheap, lots of people get them and decide they hate them
  
• Al tank - Post 1998 aluminum 80s that are in hydro with a good usable yoke-type valve are usually over $125, though it varies by area. Avoid older cylinders made of the "bad" alloy, aside from safety problems, it's expensive to get them inspected and some places won't fill them.
  
• steel tank - Over 30 cylinders I've averaged around $30 each for LP72s and $200 each for HP100s/HP120s. In nearly all cases these have needed hydro and new valves. I've had to scrap around 15% because they wouldn't pass hydro.
  
• dry suit - Fit is a big deal, condition is a big deal, lucky you if you find something that works
  
• dive light - Prices have come down on these and quality has improved so much that the used ones aren't usually worth looking at. You can get a DGX600 for $60 and depending what else you order you can get free shipping.
  
• entire BP/W setup (is my initial impression that BP/W setups hold their value better on resale? I know this may be asking this question of the choir of BP/W) - Depends what you want, there are still some good deals on doubles gear from people who have switched to rebreathers or quit diving tech. I paid $100 for a really nice doubles wing once. I paid $300 for a complete DSS backplate and wing at one point but those are hard deals to find. Expect to replace the webbing and tweak the hardware to meet your desires.

What would be a great price on the following? The reason I didn't buy the Aeris Oceans above is that I am eyeing a package deal on craigslist in my old hometown that I will visit and would like your advice. The set includes all well regarded(from the forums) and good condition, 4 years old and supposedly used only a couple of times: regulator/octopus/gauges(psi, depth, compass), bc, wetsuit, steel tank, rolling dive bag, small titanium knife, flashlight, hoodie. From the pics, the gear looks in very good condition. What would a great price for the above. Please give a range.

Who knows, depends on the specifics and whether you really want all of it. Remember to include the cost of service for the regs and the upcoming hydro for the cylinder. A wetsuit that doesn't fit you is worth zero. Guessing $500-$800. Lots of people getting out of diving want to sell out for 80% of what they put in and the gear isn't worth that, especially if they bought it at an LDS where the sales consultation and initial service and assistance is part of the purchase price.

Shop the major online dive shops for price and don't get fooled into paying more than new.

 

[NYCDiverBlue]

@divad thanks for the chuckle as I had not heard that one before. Yes, I knew I was asking very subjective questions but there is knowledge to be had on the subject for someone learning about how to get gear at a great price.

 

[NYCDiverBlue]

Who knows, depends on the specifics and whether you really want all of it. Remember to include the cost of service for the regs and the upcoming hydro for the cylinder. A wetsuit that doesn't fit you is worth zero. Guessing $500-$800. Lots of people getting out of diving want to sell out for 80% of what they put in and the gear isn't worth that, especially if they bought it at an LDS where the sales consultation and initial service and assistance is part of the purchase price.

Shop the major online dive shops for price and don't get fooled into paying more than new.

@2airishuman Thanks I actually want all of it yet don't have a big need for a tank as I travel for diving and don't have a car. I didn't include the fins and boots that he is selling as they don't fit. I was hoping to get the gear for $200-250. If not in that range then I may decide the price point is such that I want to pick exact gear I am interested vs gear that is good enough.

 

[rjack321]

@2airishuman Thanks I actually want all of it yet don't have a big need for a tank as I travel for diving and don't have a car. I didn't include the fins and boots that he is selling as they don't fit. I was hoping to get the gear for $200-250. If not in that range then I may decide the price point is such that I want to pick exact gear I am interested vs gear that is good enough.

$200-250 is a deal on some computers and a waste of money on others. Its a great deal on a nearly new used reg but a terrible deal on a dacor (which you cant find service for anymore)

 

[Nathan Doty]

I'll have to update my list, so far I've put together 2 rigs and I'm into everything about -$200. That's a negative, as in I'm money ahead at this point...

 

[Wookie]

I bought a liveaboard dive boat once for $450,000. I thought it was a pretty good deal.

 

[runsongas]

Does that include the money you threw into that hole afterwards to fix it up?