Buying Dry Suits on Ebay

[USIA]

A little horror story for you all. We recently had a suit sent to USIA for repairs. The person purchased a suit online for $500.00. When the suit came in, the zipper was shot, the neck and wrist seals rotted, the boots had zero tread and had worn through to where they were as thick as a ballon. The inflater valve, which wasn't the one USIA had put in the original suit, was stuck in the open position. Altogether, after everything, it was going to cost this gentleman nearly $600.00 to do all the necessary repairs. He was already into the suit $500, so he said to go ahead and do it! Most USIA suits retail out around $1100. This guy got a used suit with no warranty that had been through the mill and spit back out. On a good note, the suit did not have any seem leaks.

USIA has seen a lot of these problems. Most of the time, people are buying 10 year old suits. The buyers think that they can buy any suit and have it tailored down to their size. It doesn't work that way. Literally, in the last year, I have seen at least 20 cases of people buying used suits online, and the customer not really getting what they thought they were. Please be cautious. You cannot judge a drysuit by a low resolution picture the seller sends you. I know we are not the only manufacturer seeing this. My other company, Express Dry Suit Repair, has had to start refusing suits because of these issues.

I won't get on my soap box and tell you all about the evil that is internet scuba sales. But when it comes to Dry Suits or BC's, you really need to rethink your decisions to purchase any item you cant actually touch and feel first.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Well, so you can hear it from someone who doesn't have a business interest in the sale of drysuits, I totally agree with what Jerry is saying ... I would not recommend purchasing a drysuit that you can't inspect and try on first. I also know someone who purchased a used drysuit over the Internet, and by the time she got done making repairs and modifications ended up spending more (and waiting longer) than she would have for a brand new custom suit.

With a drysuit, fit is everything. If you can't try it on first, at least understand that you risk paying more in the long run for a used suit than you'd pay for a new one ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[crpntr133]

My LDS sees it all the time. My favorite story is the one about the guy that wasn't going to take classes and could figure it out on his own ( he bought off e-bay). They make it to the dive site and he starts to get the suit on, but can't get it over his head. He doesn't want help and all but passes out in this position. After getting it on and getting into the water, he finds out that it has several pin hole leaks in the suit. He was so worn out from donning the suit that others had to get his gear and suit off.
I would hate to think what would have happened if the suit didn't have holes.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

If you are considering buying a suit off E-bay bid accordingly. As a rule, don't bid at all unless you are familiar with the make, model and size of the suit and dont bid much on it even then (less than $100) unless you can personally examine it or are very, very comfortable with the seller. Even then be very aware of the actual used value of the suit and be aware of the potential costs to repair the suit and again bid accordingly. I have seen many used e-bay suits go for nearly as much as the price of a new suit indicating buyers are not doing their homework on the suit first.

 

[scubadad]

I agree! You have to be very careful when buying anything from Ebay, drysuit or not.

However, if you are prudent and do your research and follow some basic rules, you can find some good deals on Ebay.

I bought my drysuit off Ebay. I knew what I was looking for and watched Ebay for 4 months. I bought a never used, in the box DUI FLX 50/50 for $700. It came with the seals uncut, the tags still on it, in the original DUI box with the original manuals.

I have never been happier with an Ebay purchase. But, I also was very patient, did all my research up front, and waited.

You are correct, buyer beware.....but also buyer can get a good deal!

 

[lotsofgadgets]

I purchased my USIA drysuit used on Ebay for $300.00. The suit looks brand new, it still has stickers on the soles of the boots. It also came with undergarments, carring bay, and inflator hose. The only problem I found with the suit was the latex seals were shot. $40 for neck seal from ScubaToys, and $25 for wrist seals from the LDS and I am good to go. Compare this to $1200 for a new suit at the LDS. If it wasn't for ebay I would not be diving dry.

But, I do agree with the above posts, be careful and research exactly what you are bidding on. I was able to check USIA's fitting chart to make sure this suit would fit and I also contacted the seller to verify things like hoses were included.

Dennis

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Patience is the key. Know exactly what you want and then wait for it.

 

[ChrisA]

A little horror story for you all. We recently had a suit sent to USIA for repairs. The person purchased a suit online for $500.00. When the suit came in, the zipper was shot, the neck and wrist seals rotted,

I watched that auction on ebay and thought about bidding, but then I watched the price go up and I was thinking "who in the world woud pay that much?" The seals don't have to be cracked to be usless. Maybe the owner just has a large neck or wrists and the seal is trimmed out to large. When bidiing on a used suit you have to figure on the worst case: the zipper and seals all are in need of re[lacement. I'd say if the price of the suit plus the worst case repairs add up to more than 1/2 retail price let some eBay sucker buyer have it.

On one other auction I asked the seller a question. The reply was "I don't know anything about the suit we only list items for our clients" That suit too went for way to much money to some sucker who couldn't possibly know what he was buying.

eBay is a great place to sell stuff. I know of a local scuba shop that said some customer of thiers was buying tanks at full retail and re-selling on eBay for $20 markup plus shiping.

Bottom line is that you really have to be an imformed buyer.

 

[Mo2vation]

But as others have said, you gotta be smart.

And patient.

And know what the thing is worth (like using their "completed auctions" search)

And use Auction Sniper to bid while you sleep.

And never, ever pay by Western Union or any other cash equvilent.

And negotiate with the sellers and complete as many transactions off of eBay as possible.

And so much more....

I've purchased 99.999% of my kit from eBay. Back plate, wing, regs, fins, lights, exposure suits, hoods, gloves, tanks, etc, etc.... I've bought and sold half-a-dozen drysuits on eBay. Three of them I just bought to flip. One mis-listed DUI I bought for $412 and sold it 10 days later for $1265. The DS my wife wears to this day was purchased off of eBay. Once we got our suits, I ended up re-selling our DRYSUIT BOXES on eBay (the empty box, with the manual) for $35 and $30, plus freight. eBay so rules.

Most recently (this week): PST E8130 - 1/05 hydro... new in the box, never used: $349. Replaced my DUI drysuit hood this week. Bought a new, mis-listed Halcyon inflater for $25.

Treasures await you. Not just Scuba. But so, so much more.

Be smart. Be careful. Watch LOTS of auctions. Get a feel of how things are listed, what their market price is, and rock on. If it sucks, and you bought it at a good price, flip it and make some cash. I've sold a lot more than I purchased... thousands of items I've sold. Many tens-of-thousands of dollars made since 1999 on eBay.

The internet is the biggest thing to happen in my lifetime, and eBay is the biggest thing to happen to the internet. Its quite simply changed my life. You gotta become savvy on eBay or else you're just missing out on one of the biggest opportunities on the planet.

Treasures await you.

---
Ken
SB eBay honk

 

[Dive-aholic]

I agree you need to be careful when buying on ebay, but I purchased 2 drysuits on ebay which were both in very good condition. Again, patience is key. I watched several dozen auctions over the course of a few months. I had set the price I was willing to pay and I also only buy from sellers without negative feedback. You also have to read the description carefully. It's definitely something you don't want to do if you don't know what you're looking for. BTW, buying the 2 drysuits on ebay ended up saving me over $2500 if I had purchased the same suits new. And I haven't had to spend any more money on them other than for zipper wax. You just have to be patient and careful.