Follow our advices to buy gear at the right price and without stress.
1- Don’t be in a hurry
Buying in a rush will put you in a difficult position: you lack time to negociate, you have to decide under pressure, you can’t request for help to make your decision.
Your risk of untimely purchasing, of forgetting a parameter, or going over-budget increase dramatically.
We often change pieces of gear according to our progression: try to plan ahead and anticipate. If you can’t, then be patient.
2- Study the market
Take a moment to investigate the market: is the good you are looking for anything rare or are there plenty outside? What is the average pricing?
These informations are key to the quality/price ratio of the listings you are going to read.
Then you can re-evaluate your hopes according to your budget, and prevent disappointments.
Thanks to the high volume of classified ads on Aozora, this step will be easy.
3- Set a precise budget
It is essential to prevent yourself from going nuts! If you can stick to your budget, chances are you won’t be able to afford jumping much this season.
Set up a budget per part, and a global budget: if you get a good deal on one piece of gear, you can then afford to pay more for another one, and stay within your envelope.
Be realistic, and use the intel gathered while studying the market: rethink your expectations, or postpone some of your buying.
Don’t plan on getting some good for a fraction of the average pricing you’ve noticed: there are very few miracles in life, and the state of mind will make you vulnerable to scam.
4- Filter the listings
Save time by filtering listings thanks to the numerous available criteria on Aozora.
No need to know about goods that doesn’t match your searching, so don’t waste time reading about listings that are irrelevant.
If you happen to have too less results, it is still possible to losen your search on criteria on which you can be a little flexible.
5- Get notifications
Save up your search to get notified every time a new listing that fits your criteria is published, or when a former one is modified.
Then, you don’t miss any opportunity, even if you can’t visit Aozora everyday.
Double check in your parameters that you email is properly set up.
6- Ask for all information
Nothing worse than realizing last minute that there is a problem or an issue on the good you were about to buy.
If some information is missing in the listing, ask it to the seller. It will save you time and effort.
If he doesn’t have it, or is reluctant to give them away, it might be a clue for doubting his seriousness or even his legitimacy. It is most of the time a good way to identify scammers in a few questions: they copy past other ads, but know nothing to the sport.
7- Ask for help
If checking in safety bulletins or other recommendations is not something you are familial with, if your knowledge on gear is limited, if it is your first buy: don’t hesitate to call an instructor or a rigger on your local DZ for help.
If possible, check said gear with them, and don’t be shy: most of them will be willing to help, and a rigger knows you are likely to have your gear taken care of by him if things go well.
And because it is always nice to show your appreciation, don’t hesitate to pay them a round as an acknowledgment for the time they gave you!
8- Try the gear
Most of the goods we buy in skydiving are tailored-made: check they suit you. A harness or a jumpsuit that are not the right sizing can be an impediment to your progressing.
A type of canopy you never flew before can have a style of flying you don’t like. Quick or slow openings, smooth or steep turns: check you are going to feel comfortable with this canopy before spending your savings on it.
9- Protect your personal data
It is a curse, but thieves and scammers are legions on the web.
Aozora provides you with a complete system to cover your personal data: seller will only know about the general info of your profile. Giving away you email or your phone number is a starting gate for theft of data and payment scam.
Instead, use Aozora’s messaging system and our integrated payment gateway to ensure your personal data’s integrity.
10- Choose a secured payment solution
Using Aozora’s integrated credit card payment solution only have pros:
- no need to withdraw large amount of cash
- no hassle to get a cashier check
- no need to give away your banking info
- no PayPal scam in between individuals
- identity of sellers is checked by Stripe, as required by European law
Learn more tips on Aozora by reading our FAQ
Take care, and have great jumps!!
Aozora
