precautions you take buying used

[Fat-jd]

just out of interest what precautions do you guys take when buying used kit over the internet when you cant go and collect 

[Prisce]

Ask the right questions First. 

 

Get a read of the person, ask for photos, or a video firing if I’m dubious.

 

Then trust the seller. It’s the same really as buying from an eBay seller. 

[Druid799]

Most definitely what this good gentleman said !

me personally I’ll do a bit of research on the sell first (see what kind of profile they have in Airsoft) then ask questions , lots of questions! Plus I like to have a clip of it working in semi and auto then I’ll consider sending my beer tokens . Plus unless I actually know them or have dealt with them before and I know there a sold person first hint of “can you send it as a gift to avoid the charges ?”  I’m out of it ! I ALWAYS insist on paying for goods&services so we both have some regress if it all goes tits up .

[skintrade]

Always ask yourself "if this goes wrong, how much can I afford to lose". This is as much for seller doing a runner with your hard earned, as for item being junk and either needing fixing up or just trashing.

 

As mentioned in the posts previously, research both item and seller, ask detailed questions on the item (obviously depends on item and value), PayPal G&S is always a sound option but again depends on your previous experience with seller for me at least, know in advance how the item(s) would be shipped and get shipping confirmation as soon as possible. No 'good' seller would see anything wrong with this, and should be happy to help. 

[Rogerborg]

PayPal only, ask them to invoice you, listing exactly what you're paying for: items, condition, and delivery.

 

https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/email-invoice

 

[StayOnTarget]

As the lads have said above abit of research and try to read between the lines in a description a word of caution though when you buy you inherit the hidden problems too I personally look at the external build first as I'll be changing out internals anyway and when I see high speed this and runs great on 11.1 lipo I immediately think its been flogged to death also watch out for S hopped its basically SUGRU used to hop with its alright but it doesn't last as long as a proper hop up rubber from what I've been led to believe try and look for a stock gun with a mosfet I'm very happy with my used rifle I hope with some help you will be too.If I can help at all please dont hesitate to contact me. Now I have a question for you I noticed youre rocking an M249 if you get time I'd love to hear your thoughts on it and any details would be awesome

[Adolf Hamster]

generally i go paypal g+s and if it's one of the following:

if it's going to be immediately obvious yes/no answer if the thing works or not then just rely on paypal- took this attitude buying an nv scope on here knowing that it'd either work or i could return

 

the other alternative is if it's something either low value, or that if it has an issue that can be hidden that it's something easily sorted, like an aeg for example where the worst case you can replace the whole mechbox for not much money.

 

it can be a right gamble but there are bargains to be had, a freind handed me a gun today to "fix up" which took an arduous amount of pulling the slide, setting the hop and tightening a loose screw then proceeding to dump the mag to demonstrate how there wasn't a damn thing wrong with it, likewise i've heard of folk buying ics l85's for 50 quid, poking a jammed bb out of the barrel and taking it to the next skirmish.

[Gepard]

General questions: How long have you owned it, have you done any upgrades or had any techs look at it, when was it last serviced, who did you buy it off, any issues I should be aware of, ask for extra photos for areas you want a better look at, gauge how they respond and go off on that. Always pay via PayPal "paying for goods any services" and keep a record of the transaction + PMs / details so that you can dispute it if anything goes wrong. You can also Google their username  / real name and see if they have any feedback under the same alias. Take everybodies favourite scammer Stephen Gelnnie for example. If you google their name with "airsoft" next to it you get a nice big "SCAMMER" warning. 

 

Bottom line is if you don't feel comfortable or have any red flags then don't send any money. 

 

 

[Dentonboy]

For forums, I check how long they have been a member for and their feedback.

 

If it is too good to be true, it normally is.

[Immortal]

If they can answer this, it's good enough for me:

 

What Is the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow?

 

But in honesty I would only buy from a member that is active, has been a member for at least 6 months or more and preferably already has a feedback number on their profile. Much the same as the posts before mine really. And whilst I'm being honest, I've only ever bought one small part second hand for less than a tenner but the above still applied (except for the Swallow bit... ).

 

Partly why I don't buy secondhand stuff is because I think a lot is over valued and then there's the members that have only been signed up for 3 minutes and made no posts except to create a sale (which seems rude and does nothing for trust nor the community). Hum-bug.

[Rogerborg]

I tell you what I'd avoid: sellers who actually say flat out that it's not their responsibility to deliver what you've paid for.

 

 

Oh, I see it's a matter of policy for this chap.

 

 

Presented as an example of what to look out for.

 

 

[Tiercel]

And there was me thinking that its the person sending the good that has a contract with the delivery company, and is responsible for the goods right up til they arrive in your hands 🙄 Silly me. Or when something does get lost/damaged in the post the seller just gives you the tracking number and says "there you go, you sort it out". Uh, no? Its your problem as the seller, you sort it out.

 

I mean I get that they dont want to post them... so just... dont? "Sorry I dont trust the couriers not to cock it up, so collection only" is a lot easier to swallow than "IF IT GETS LOST ITS YOUR FAULT NOT MINE, NO REFUNDS K"

[Rogerborg]

Well, quite.  The number of sellers who imagine that there's someone three streets away gagging to buy their "barely used" gats never fails to amaze me.

 

Then there's the ones who (as per that chap) list the courier that they're going to use, as though that's of any interest to the buyer.

 

If your seller is grudging and already making excuses before they have your money, imagine what they'll be like once your hard earned is in their hands.

[kasaran]

8 hours ago, Rogerborg said:

 

Then there's the ones who (as per that chap) list the courier that they're going to use, as though that's of any interest to the buyer.

 

I dunno.  I always cringe when i order things and i find out they are using hermes or yodel. Too many bad experiences with them.  It wont make or break my want for the item, but its peace of mind if i trust the delivery company.

[Valentine]

On 18/11/2018 at 22:56, Immortal said:

If they can answer this, it's good enough for me:

 

What Is the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow?

Is that the African or European Swallow? 😂

[Adolf Hamster]

1 hour ago, Valentine said:

Is that the African or European Swallow? 😂

 

I don't know that!

[Seany.exe]

Are you saying coconuts are migratory?

[gasman]

only when they fall in the sea

[Albiscuit]

On 26/11/2018 at 08:09, Valentine said:

Is that the African or European Swallow? 😂

 

Beat me to it..

 

 

 

In all honesty I wont buy a RIF from someone unless I know of them, a regular poster on here or a regular at the sites I play.

Cheaper gear and parts are less of a gamble.

 

The other thing which has not been mentioned and with some of the ridiculous prices in the classifieds on here is to CHECK RETAIL price. Plenty of sellers trying to sell a used gun for £50/£20 less than they paid for it, or chuck a load of random extras in and you end up paying for a load of crap you dont want/need.. In some cases fair enough it might be a bargain, but I for one would rather pay the full price, get a gun I can completely trust and have warranty.

 

 

On another note the Paypal F&F nonsense pisses me off. If your selling an item it should be sold as a goods and services transaction and that is what it is.

So you either

A) Know your going to lose a % and shrug it off as a transaction fee or wear n tear fee or

B) adjust your price accordingly. 

I would much rather pay £220 for something and the guy state please use G&S than be asked to trust a cretin asking £200 that I have never met insisting on F&F and then demanding I work out the fees and pay him extra.

 

Just stick a tenner/score on the total!!