Selling Your Used Dive Gear to JoeScuba
It’s been several months since I started buying used dive gear. There’s a lot of used dive gear out there. These days, I get anywhere from one to three emails from divers and former divers offering to sell used regulators, BCDs, dive lights, wetsuits, drysuits, masks, fins…. You name it.
In my first post, I offered guidelines about what dive gear I am interested in, along with some thoughts about what I am pricing. This is touchy because naturally, everyone wants top dollar for used dive gear. I get that, but I think it will be helpful to clarify my intentions.
Selling Used Dive Gear, General Considerations
It seems that most sellers fall into one of a few categories. The first is formerly active divers that have dive gear they no longer need. The second group is divers that purchased scuba gear and used it for a few dives or a vacation, but never became active divers. The third group is divers that just want to clear out an item or two they don’t need.
Sometimes, I get emails from people that never did dive and have some random equipment taking up space, or that they tried selling on eBay.
For the most part, the only old dive gear I’ll even consider buying is vintage double hose regulators, or pre-Nikonos Calypso 35mm cameras, since these have historical interest. Most other old dive gear is beyond being usable, because hardly anyone can service them and parts aren’t available anyway.
Selling Your Used Regulator
I am working together with Key Largo Dive Center. We are deeply committed to diving safety, so we will not sell any used regulators without servicing them first. That means, we will only buy regulator models from trusted brands that keep parts on hand and readily available.
We buy scuba regulators from Aqualung, Apeks, Hollis, Dive Rite, Scubapro, Tusa, Cressi, XS Scuba, Atomic, NEX, Seac, Oceanic, Sherwood and Mares. I may have left a few out, so if you have a major brand regulator to sell, email me (joe@joescuba.com).
Pricing Your Used Regulator
As I mentioned, we will not sell a used regulator without servicing it first. Depending on the regulator brand and model, parts kits can run over $100. Premium regulators can be even higher. Add to that, 1-3 hours on the bench, plus replacement hoses. It gets very expensive, but our used regulators are going to be safe to dive.
The best used scuba regulators will sell for roughly half the price of the same regulator when purchased new. If it is in pristine, like new, condition, maybe 2/3. We will usually offer half what we expect to sell your regulator for. Even then, it’s not as great a deal for us as it might seem. Let’s do the math:
If a regulator sells new for $600, we will expect to sell it for $300 ($400 best case). If we pay $150, then replace $60 in parts, without paying for a single minute of shop time, we’re $210 into a regulator we’ll sell for $300.
Add to that, it takes a lot of time to get it onto the website, plus packaging and shipping. We charge for shipping, but it hasn’t actually covered the cost on an order ever. If we buy a regulator for $150, we’re doing great to make $40.
Selling Used BCDs
BCDs take a lot of abuse. Few divers rinse then inside, let alone on the outside. Inflators almost always have corrosion and need to be replaced. Also, sun and chlorine damage is a problem, and BCDs come in many different sizes.
BCDs with an Air2, AirSource or other “safe second” stage need regulator servicing as described above. They are also bulky to ship.
Used BCDs find to sit around, even when we price them very low. Given that, we won’t offer much at all. Sometimes people just give them to us with the hope of finding them a good home. Even so, we will not sell a used BCD without proper servicing.
A failed BCD can create a very dangerous situation for the diver, so unless the BCD is in perfect working condition, we won’t sell it.
Old model BCD aren’t worth the cost of shipping. We don’t like telling people their gear isn’t worth much, but sometimes that’s just the reality.
We are interested in current model BCDs in like new condition, as long as they are in popular sizes. Again, after servicing, we’re only willing to pay half what we plan to sell them for—usually 20%-25% of retail.
Selling Masks, Snorkels & Fins
We will only consider like new, current models of masks. Most people prefer to buy a snorkel new for obvious reasons. Fins often take a beating, but used premium fins can be worth something in good condition.
The problem selling used dive fins is shipping costs. Last week I sold a pair of used dive fins that cost me $43 just to ship! It’s insane what shipping costs these days. I think the customer paid $20 of that. He got a good deal on a great pair of fins. UPS made money. I lost my shirt.
Selling Used Wetsuits
We mostly don’t have a use for used wetsuits. There are just too many sizes and neoprene loses its flexibility over time. Also, a lot of people (including me) put used wetsuits in the same category as used snorkels—kind of gross.
Again, shipping is a huge cost. If you have a wetsuit you want to sell, feel free to send pictures. Most likely, we can’t do anything with it due to shipping costs. If you have a clean, used wetsuit that you simply want to find a home for, let me know and I’ll do what I can.
Selling Technical Diving Equipment
Selling tech gear is pretty much the same as any other dive gear. I am personally more interested in it, but regulators still need to be services and wings wear out like traditional BCDs do.
Weight is the major concern. If you are near South Florida or Reno, NV, we can get around the shipping problem.
Selling Used Scuba Tanks
Scuba tanks weigh a ton, so shipping them costs more than new in most cases. If you are local to South Florida or Reno, it’s not such a problem. If your scuba tank is out of hydro, we won’t buy it at all since there is the possibility it won’t pass. If you give it to us, we will roll the dice on a hydro and, if it passes, we will find it a home.
Selling Used Dive Computers
Dive computers are like other used dive gear. Recent models is great condition have a market. We will pay about half what we expect to sell them for. As an example, I recently sold a Shearwater Petrel for $450. Shearwater dive computers are in great demand, and there is typically nothing for us to service. They are also compact and light weight, so shipping isn’t as bad as other dive gear.
Obsolete dive computers aren’t worth much because technology changes so fast. If your dive computer is part of your regulator setup, we’ll make an estimate and price it all together.
The Bottom Line for Selling Used Dive Gear
The truth is most used dive gear isn’t worth a lot of money. I know it’s not cheap to buy new, but dive gear takes a beating and technology moves quickly. Dive gear is life support equipment, so the majority of divers prefer to buy new.
It also usually takes a long time to sell, and some items never do, so buying used dive gear at all is a bit of a gamble to begin with. If we make you a low offer, please don’t be offended. Many times, when I ask what an individual wants for a piece of dive equipment, their asking price simply doesn’t make sense.
If you are buying used dive gear, feel confident that the equipment sold here has been tested and serviced if appropriate.
As always, feel free to email me at joe@joescuba.com.