EBAY and SKI's Were Meant to Be

[RossiSkier]

I was wondering if there were any other skiiers who enjoy pouring over the skis that are available on EBAY as much as I do. Thanks to EBAY I have been able to collect an entire year's model of Rossignol skis. You can buy brand new skis in shrink wrap from 2 and 3 years ago, or a package with bindings. There are tons of used and lightly used skis. I have picked up a couple of pairs of nice used Rossi's with demo bindings for $49-$60 and use them as spair skis for friends or as rock skis during light cover. I have combed the Internet for years looking at ski retailers and have been to hundreds of ski shops. NOTHING COMPARES TO THE DEALS YOU CAN GET ON EBAY.

I would NOT however recommend buying boots on EBAY. Boots should be fitted by an expert. I am also lucky to have an authorized Rossignol ski shop very close to me that charges $12 bucks to tune and do a release check.

 

[skijay]

I sold a pair of new shrink wrapped Rossi skis on Ebay about a month ago and my Salomon snowblades a few weeks back on Ebay.

I searched for Salomon 1080 skis on Ebay but gave up.

 

[ctenidae]

My wife bought a pair of skis off eBay last year, and while the deal was great, it did point out the major, though avoidable, problem with buying on eBay. That is, they were totally the wrong ski for her. She did some research online, and thought that maybe they would be okay, especially for the price. Unfortunately, when the manufacturer's description said "advanced intermediate", they really meant "first time skier who won't know the difference." She hated them. We went to a couple of ski shops looking for an idea of what we could do to improve them, and in every one, the salespeople said she bought thte wrong ski.
Take home lesson: do your homework- talk to people, demo, whatever, but know what ski you want, for sure, then go get it on eBay. Obvious advice, sure, but easily overlooked.

 

[skijay]

I know what you mean about a mismatch of ski to skier. One of the merchants on Ebay was selling Salomon Crossmax 7 Skis (former rental / demo). The particular model was a Crossmax 7 which was advertised as an "advanced ski". After researching it I found out it is more of an beginner / intermediate ski.

 

[RossiSkier]

Ski Research prior to buying from EBAY

There's a lot of good info online to look at prior to a ski purchase. skimag.com has a ton of good info. My wife was a beginner and we got her a great pair of Rossignol Axium's 150's. She loves them.

 

[ctenidae]

I agree, there's lots of good info online. Unfortunately, there's at least an equal amount of bad info. Very little beats talking to someone, though- at least that way you can get an idea if you trust their info.

 

[riverc0il]

i actually just purchased my legend 8000s on ebay. brand new pair of skis for about one third off the going shop price, a fantastic deal for an 'in season' current model. older skis are even better, 3-4 year old skis go for $100-200 brand new even for top models, often with bindings. i was tempted to snag a volkl p50 slalom model not long ago, heh. i probably will eventually try to snag a pair of nobis inspireds next year on the cheap on ebay as an inbounds ski for natural snow and powder since the legends are having a freeride binding mounted and will be the off piste ski in the quivver.

 

[beswift]

E-bay

Personally, I stay away from E-bay. I registered with them and have an account, but the tendency would be to go into debt. I've seen plenty that tickles my fancy, but I know that I don't need it. The bidding seemed to me as being intense also. It sucks you in. Honestly, I own too many things as it is.

 

[riverc0il]

yea, the system is designed to sucker people into over bidding on items. i much prefer half.com which is now owned by ebay which allows sellers to set a price. when i snagged my skis on ebay, i used the "buy it now" option to avoid a bidding war and possibly loosing the skis to a snipper bidder. it was actually my first and only purchase on the system and was a great transaction (i'm a long time half.com user as both a buyer and seller and really wish ebay was expanding that system instead of debating whether to keep it or not).

 

[beswift]

E-bay

As you have demonstrated with that reply, it helps to become expert at the cyber-buying which takes time. I stick to the shops which I know well. I did do some buying this year with The House a board shop (snow, wind) that has an on-line business. I pay by check as I don't have an on-line credit card. If you are into these sports, they are a pretty good way of buying. I did have some trouble with delivery on one item, though. That's another advantage to dealing in person i.e. you can take possession right away. Fed Ex makes it easy to track your packages on-line, but my trouble was with the internals of The House which is in Minn. I called them a number of times but didn't see the product all summer. I would save some extra driving time if I did everything on-line, though.

 

[RossiSkier]

AUGMENT YOUR COLLECTION

Well it may be the way to go to talk to a sales person, but after you have your MAIN ski purchase made, it's fun to augment your collection with a few steals here and there. I have picked up a couple of mint condition skis for $50 a piece. I have plenty of skis already so I wasn't worried about waiting for them to arrive.

Currently there are over 3,200 pairs of downhill skis on EBay auctions including Atomic (449) ; Dynastar (325); Elan (71); Fischer (77); Head (150);
K2 (352); Rossignol (555); Salomon (394); Volant (103); Volkl (196); Other (569). There are numerous good deals to be had, but there are also some skis that are sizeable investments. If you know your ski, then this is the place to be.

True, shopping on EBAY takes a certain knack, but it's not hard to catch on. If anything it is absolutely facinating to scan the pages of skis, just like I love to walk around ski shops and tell sales people that I'm just looking around.

 

[Greg]

Re: AUGMENT YOUR COLLECTION

True, shopping on EBAY takes a certain knack, but it's not hard to catch on.

I haven't bought anything on eBay in a long time and I usually don't buy many big ticket items; although I did buy a guitar once. My bidding approach is this:

1. Take note of the item's end date/time.
2. When you're a few minutes away from the auction's end, pull up two browser windows for the item.
3. On one window, put in the maximum amount you'd be willing to pay (this is where the true discipline comes in).
4. Use the other browser window to continually refresh the auction page.
5. When you're down to ~5 seconds of the auction's end, submit your bid from the other window.

Kind of a neat way to snipe the last bid. Of course you may not always win, but you can take comfort in knowing that you never bid more than you thought the item was worth. Often times you may score a winning bid at much less than you set as your maximum bid, especially if the auction ended at a favorable time (e.g. late at night when there are less fellow "snipers").

 

[RossiSkier]

Late Night Swipers

It's true that occasionally you will get your deal knocked off while you were out at the market or at the movies. But the same type of ski will reappear in time. It is fun to swipe them from others. Another fun thing is to run up the price on somebody who's trying to get the same item as you.

 

[Greg]

Please...someone buy these so I don't feel compelled to do so...

 

[riverc0il]

greg, if it helps you could get a MUCH better deal at the end of this season or the beginning of next season. i'd guess you could pick up that ski and binding combo for $400 or so during the off season.

it's definitely a solid ski, though i think it tries to be too much to too many people. the term "all mountain" is quickly beginning to mean great at nothing but horrible at nothing either. that's a different thread though, there i go hijacking another one!

 

[beswift]

Re: AUGMENT YOUR COLLECTION

Well it may be the way to go to talk to a sales person, but after you have your MAIN ski purchase made, it's fun to augment your collection with a few steals here and there. I have picked up a couple of mint condition skis for $50 a piece. .

At one time I owned 14 pairs of skiis, cross-country and downhill. I travelled with most of them. I used to try and use every pair in a year, but it was hard. After a while, it was too oppressive. Marx said that Capitalism builds unrealistic (I'm not sure of the exact word he used as he was German) needs. I got to the point that I had more skiis than I could use. In the last recession I dropped it down to One par of alpine skiis, but now I am back into the accumulation mode and have 3 downhill, 2 x-c and 2 antique. On top of that I have 4 Windsurfers, three full sets of golfclubs and about 20 pairs of specialty sporting shoes and boots. Buying too much puts a lot of guys in a bad way. Once you buy a ski, you need a binding. Then you need to mount it. It sits in your garage and deteriorates if you aren't using it. Then they come out with a new design and render your pair obsolete. You can't even give it away.

True, shopping on EBAY takes a certain knack, but it's not hard to catch on. If anything it is absolutely facinating to scan the pages of skis, just like I love to walk around ski shops and tell sales people that I'm just looking around.

Why learn another set of computer skills? It's time-consuming, keeps you in the house longer and doesn't hone your social acumen. Many shop owners have to walk the buy/over-buy tightrope year after year. Hanging out in shops becomes old fast. You can over-stay your welcome very quickly. Don't think for a minute that these people can size you up and figure out that you are buying elsewhere. In addition after working in shops for a few years, I got to the point where stepping into one would make me sick. It was the new graphics at first. Then these shaped skiis meant there was a whole new techno-hype. uke: Here's an example of a guy who has walked the line into ebay. http://www.windsnowH2o.com
He worked for Strand's in Worcester for years, took up windsurfing and moved to Hyannis. Less than a year ago he tried opening up board shop that had closed a few years ago. The rent was killing him so he closed it after the first year's lease was up!!! Now he is doing all his selling on E-bay and must be paying warehouse rent somewhere. This guy started out buying and filling his van and apartment with gear. You can find him at Border's now. Do me a favor, buy him a cup of coffee because he can't afford to buy his own.

 

[beswift]

greg, if it helps you could get a MUCH better deal at the end of this season or the beginning of next season. i'd guess you could pick up that ski and binding combo for $400 or so during the off season.

You can also find that shipping hassles are at a minimum then. I learned last year that if you do all your mail-order, internet buying Mar.-May, you're better off. Oct. is good as well. People in the ski industry know that experts buy at the end of the season (it takes one to know one) that's why they often bring out next years models then. By the way, I bought two skiis last year but not on E-bay. One I bought at Bldg. 19 in Sommerville. It was brand-new and from a liquidation lot. $30. I love it. The best time to buy ski stuff on e-bay, though, must be August. That's certainly true for shops.

 

[RossiSkier]

Ski Shopping online

I have been lucky that I have not had any shipping hassles to date. There are ways to resolve those things should they occur. There are feedback to weedout potential unsavory sellers.

I don't think shopping Ebay efficiently takes a whole new set of computer skils like learning to draft in AutoCad.

It's easy enough to focus on the negative, which many have a tendancy to do, but all in all it's an enjoyable way to browse the different selection of skis and ski brands, the market for them, as well as pick up a deal here and there. If it's not for you, then sign off. Work on that social acumen.

 

[beswift]

Re: Ski Shopping online

I have been lucky that I have not had any shipping hassles to date. There are ways to resolve those things should they occur. There are feedback to weedout potential unsavory sellers.

I don't think shopping Ebay efficiently takes a whole new set of computer skils like learning to draft in AutoCad.

Agreed. It's a good service and isn't hard for those who don't have a lot of computer skills. As for shipping, I have had a funny experience receiving skiis with UPS before X-mass. It was an isolated case.

 

[LarryNH914]

So... How much did you pay for the Legend 8000's? I demoed them, liked them and say them at Rogers, with bindings, for around $675.

I did look on EBAY, but did not find them cheaper (I have brought skis on EBAY before).

They look to be around $539 without the bindings now.... REI sells them for $699, did you get them for $250 or so then?

Larry