Selling used skis, are you sure about that?

[trailtrimmer]

So after a couple interesting Facebook/Craigslist sales, I wonder what kinds of things the skiers of the Pugski community have experienced.

I'll start with my most recent.

Just today I sold a ten year old pair of Fischer FIS SL skis on facebook. The buyer is getting them to teach their boyfriend how to ski.

Me: "These may be a little much for them"

Buyer: "I want him to learn to really carve"
Me: "Those will certainly force his hand, enjoy"

So any good stories of people buying into what they have no business riding on?

 

[James]

Had a similar exp years ago with an Atomic 9.34 slalom ski. 34m radius! Just when race skis were really changing. I bought it brand new but 1 yr old. Hated it first run. Had it ground flat. Skied it one day, still hated it. Put it for sale on ebay.
Got a guy who was super interested. I talked to him and the ski made no sense for him. Sounded like he was a low intermediate. Skied at Hunter. I actually tried to talk him out of it, but he was so gung ho he came and picked it up like the next day.

 

[Kneale Brownson]

Not a sale, but I let a guy who came to buy a bunch of my old gas cans jump into a 30-yard dumpster we were filling to choose several sets from among a number of pairs of skis I had no way to keep any longer.

 

[cantunamunch]

173cm Bonafides - to a 6'2" guy going to Steamboat.

 

[amlemus]

173cm Bonafides - to a 6'2" guy going to Steamboat.

I picked up a pair of those last year to ease into the lifestyle after moving to CO last year (same length and everything!). They're great skis to bomb down the groomers, but probably a bit too nicked up to last another season or two. I have a feeling they'll get hung up and covered in stickers in no time. Sentimental first pair of skis.

 

[Jilly]

First time selling on Kijiji, my Attraxion 12's, which were the Rossi 8S oversize. Lady drove 1 hour to pick up them up. She was definitely an intermediate.....You go girl!!

Ski boots at the same time. Tecnica Diablo Pro's. Stiff boot. Lady came to pick them up. "Ah, don't you want to try them on? NO, they're 24.5, that will fit." Yeah, they are back on Kijiji.

Right now I'm trying to sell my Rossi MT's. So far I've had inquiries from Montreal south, Montreal north, Halifax and Australia. The Quebecers I've mentioned that these are for sale in Ontario. The Halifax person in coming by on Monday supposedly, but I'm not sure. The Aussie can't get here till Dec18th. So he might just get them!!

 

[James]

Not a sale, but a give away.

My Fire Arrow 84 edt evo. Loved that ski. All time classic imo. Became a cult classic when many 1st owners dumped them for being too much. That’s how I got it. Had it for seversl years.
One day I’m coming down this pitch of just solid man made grippy ice. Suddenly I can’t ski! Weirdest sensation, felt like one ski had a massive burr. I took them off to examine. One ski was delaminating under foot. It’s done. Soft snow it’s ok, anything hard, bad, and this is VT.

Instead of throwing them out, I asked one of the young guys from Argentina if he wanted them. I started to show him what was wrong with it, and he’s like “yeah,yeah, fine”. Couldn’t get his hands on them fast enough.

I heard the next week from another guy, “I can’t believe you gave....” He seemed to not care it was trashed either. They basically started fighting over the things, and since they were friends, ended up trading them back and forth because it had adjustable bindings.
That ski went at least another two seasons...

 

[coskigirl]

I often see things for sale on FB that are too old to be indemnified being sold at $50 and great for a beginner etc. I want to post (but never have) that nobody should pay any money for those skis and/or buyer beware, it's likely that no shop will work on the binding.

 

[Sibhusky]

Sold one pair at a yard sale. Told the guy repeatedly he needed to get the bindings checked as it was clear he'd never skied. Got that yeah yeah bit. Alwayd wondered if he survived.

Gave away a pair of well-used (>200 days) K2's last year, but the guy is competent and I feel much better about it. I knew that for his purposes those skis were better than what he was using. Really, if I'm getting rid of skis, they are really beat. So far (things could change with my latest pair) I've always forced myself to learn how to use them. Buyers make a note.

 

[beginnerskier96]

As a first time skier, this thread is useful! Bookmarking.

 

[Pequenita]

Technically, I didn't sell skis......A few years ago a friend called me morally corrupt for successfully selling a pair of Fritschi freeride bindings. For the non-backcountry skiers reading, they're a heavy and loud frame binding, but adequate for those dabbling with backcountry skiing.

 

[James]

As a first time skier, this thread is useful! Bookmarking.

Well what you need to know is bindings, once they’re off the indemnified list, can not be worked on by a shop. Or, they’d be crazy to work on them. People are always dragging old skis into shops and the shop refuses to touch the binding, tells them they need a new binding. People think it’s a scam, but it’s not.
Shops also have to keep their paperwork on your binding test for 7 yrs. (US anyway)

So the $50 skis/bindings could very well cost you a lot more. Though, you are free to adjust them yourself.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Last time I sold skis on Craigslist I sold a batch of 80-100 kid skis that I had bought off craigslist a few years earlier. The guy was happy to get a good price.

I've sold other stuff with success. It's pretty easy to weed out the tire kickers and no shows. If they need 20 pictures of something you're selling for $50 then forget it.

We now buy new kid skis instead of seasonal lease with the plan to sell them a few years later, but I usually end up giving them away to friends.

 

[sparty]

I dropped an old pair of Rossi B2s mounted with SIlvretta Pure Freeride bindings at the local swap. They were a good AT binding roughly an epoch ago, and the skis had been repaired (by Rossi) before I got them after a sidewall crack. They were an...interesting...choice of touring ski, but they were cheap when I bought them and worked well as long as you were very, very centered.

I really hope the buyer knew what he or she was getting in to. As approach skis for ice climbing, they probably had some good utility left, but as touring skis...tech has changed.

 

[Wasatchman]

Only time I've sold skis was a couple of years ago. Purchased a pair if Blizzard Cheyenne's for my wife who just didn't like them after trying them 5-6 times.

They were basically new condition. Sold them to somebody who wanted Black Pearls but couldn't afford them so were settling for the Cheyennes we were selling.

Still wonder if the person that bought them was happy with them. For whatever reason, my wife couldn't get along with those Cheyennes.

And lesson learned on our part not to buy a ski without demoing it unless you are getting a crazy great deal.

 

[slowrider]

I do a little ski sales just for fun. $10 dollar thrift store is my last deal of the week.

 

[DanoT]

And lesson learned on our part not to buy a ski without demoing it unless you are getting a crazy great deal.

Every time that I have not followed the "try before you buy" rule I have sold said skis by the following season. So as you say, get the skis for a cheap enough price to get your money back on a resale is the only way to non demo for me.

 

[Brian Finch]

Weeks after selling poles.....

“Hey you said I could cut these down for me, which end do I cut?!”

 

[OldJeep]

Not a snow ski, but sold a 69cm KD Powercarve (waterski) to a guy who was about 5ft 5 120lbs, I told him that he could probably just stand on it in the water and float, but he wanted it anyways.