Where to Buy Used Skydiving Gear

For newly licensed jumpers looking for their first rig, but also for experienced skydivers looking to buy a new specific parachute, the question of where exactly to buy used skydiving gear is often confusing. What makes finding the right equipment so complicated is that our gear is extremely specific which makes it rather unlikely that your buddy from the dropzone is selling exactly what you need.

Key Takeaways

Used skydiving gear can be bought through online marketplaces, Facebook groups, local communities, and riggers or gear shops trading pre-owned equipment, each with its own trade-offs regarding price, selection, safety, and service. Specific online marketplaces like Avento offer a large selection, competitive prices, secure payments with buyer protection, and the ability to search for exact items, but buyers don't get personal guidance in selecting gear. Local purchases from a rigger or friend offer the possibility to physically inspect the gear and expert advice and test jumps, but the selection is smaller and finding the perfect item depends on luck. Facebook groups are free and the most commonly used option, but searching for the right gear is difficult and fraud is a major problem because of missing payment protection.

• Avento is highlighted as a top option for pre-owned skydiving gear as it is the only marketplace specifically built for used skydiving gear. Secure escrow payments, specific search functions, and the option to let your rigger inspect the gear.
• Direct purchases from friends and local skydivers are a great option if you are lucky enough to find the right item there. Possibility to try the gear on in person, personal pickup and no fees.
• Purchasing directly from a rigger or dealer trading used gear offers personalised advice and inspection, but cost tends to be higher and the selection limited.
• Facebook groups are the most common option with the largest selection but requires patience, searching for the needle in a haystack, and the risk of scams is high.
• General Online Marketplaces like eBay or Craigslist are best avoided. The filtering- and search-functions are not specific enough to find the right gear, and eBay's high fees make gear very expensive which is why they are generally unused by experienced skydivers and the remaining listings often low-quality.
• In any case, ask your rigger for advice and guidance, especially as a beginner. They will help you with tips, know your level, and can prevent you from making bad decisions.

What's Ahead

• 1. Local purchases: Personal but limited
• 2. Rigger & Gearshops: Individual guidance
• 3. Facebook buy/sell groups: Largest selection but high-risk
• 4. eBay: Almost never used
• 5. Avento: Safe and specialised for used skydiving gear
• Comparison: Best place to buy your skydiving gear
• Q&A

1. Local purchases: Personal but limited

If you are looking for common used gear such as a main parachute or a medium sized container with average harness measurements, looking locally is the best place to start. Ask around at the DZ, many dropzones have local WhatsApp or Facebook groups where you could ask. Also approach the local rigger, they often know who is selling what and often sell gear on behalf of their customers as well.

If you are lucky enough to find the perfect gear for you locally, this is the best option. You can get a rigger or instructor to inspect and try on the gear in person before buying, don't have to worry about shipping, and there is no middleman taking any fees.

Just make sure to also have a look at what is available online. Unfortunately sometimes jumpers, or even instructors try to sell their old gear to an unknowing young jumper for an unrealistically high price.

• Pros: Easy, cheap, in-person inspection, test-jumping
• Cons: Limited selection, especially if you are looking for something very specific like a rig

2. Rigger & Gearshops: Individual Guidance

Some professional rigging- and gear-shops also trade used gear on behalf of their customers. Our partners Skyvoss AS, and Mindfly are professional rigging and gearshops that are also actively trading used gear.

Although the selection is still rather limited, these are great options as the gear was inspected by an experienced rigger and you get personal expert-advice on what gear is right for you. Naturally, the prices are possibly a bit higher because of the service they provide but the safety, consultation and peace of mind is worth it.

• Pros: Expert-advice, peace of mind, rigger inspected gear
• Cons: Limited selection

3. Facebook buy/sell groups: Largest selection but high-risk

The currently most-used platform to buy used gear online are Facebook buy/sell groups. Most jumpers don't like the hassle but they undeniably have the largest selection of used-gear if you are patient enough for the right gear to come up.

Some specific groups that are commonly recommended are:

• Skydiving Gear for Sale
• Skydiving Gear For Sale and Wanted
• Buy/Sell Skydiving Gear
• USA Skydiving Gear Sales

Keep in mind two important things when buying used gear on Facebook: Firstly, fraud is very common and has become an increasingly relevant issue in recent years. Scammers caught on to the fact that large payments are made without any actual safety, and started to become quite good at faking listings and impersonating skydivers. According to a survey we ran, around 1 in 3 skydivers who traded gear online have experienced fraud attempts before.

Secondly, you can't search or filter, so stay patient and consistently check what has been uploaded. You can make a "searching for …" post, with as much detail of what you are looking for as possible, but be cautious as these tend to especially attract scammers.

We have held a presentation on how to spot and avoid scams when buying gear on Facebook at the European Skydiving Symposium 2026 in Sevilla. You can check out the recording of the speech if interested.

• Pros: Largest selection, no fees
• Cons: Searching for the needle in a haystack, scams are a major problem

4. eBay: Almost never used

Although eBay, and other general online marketplaces like Craigslist, are very well-known for trading used goods of all sorts, they are very unsuitable for the sale of used skydiving gear and almost never used.

Because of their generalist nature, they cannot even reliably tell skydiving gear apart from paragliding gear, let alone let you search for the specific gear you are looking for. Furthermore the fee structure is very high (13.6% on total amount of the sale up to $7,500) which deters good sellers from selling over eBay. As a result, much of the skydiving gear available on eBay is low quality or in bad condition. It even became a bit of a running joke in the skydiving community that eBay listings are "30 years old but still crispy".

eBay does provide some payment protection, but it is not built for a transaction like this. As the customer support staff are not skydivers, their knowledge about the items is largely non-existent. Furthermore the inspection windows and transaction process is not designed for skydiving gear.

• Pros: Well-known, many people already have an account
• Cons: Unsuitable for skydiving equipment, very high fees, almost never used by good sellers

5. Avento: Safe and specialised for used skydiving gear

Avento is built specifically for skydiving gear. Through safe escrow payments, the payment is securely held until you received the gear and had time to bring it to your rigger for inspection. If anything is not as described, you can dispute the transaction and receive a full refund. With the filtering and search algorithm you can find exactly what you are looking for, and set alerts for specific searches to be notified when something suitable is uploaded.

There are hundreds of listings available in various categories such as complete rigs, containers, main canopies, and helmets, and a very active user-base of skydivers and riggers.

To help you with buying the right used gear, we have gone to great lengths to build resources such as the Harness Sizing Guide, Gear Value Calculator or Container Sizing Guide. Nevertheless, we cannot provide you personal 1:1 guidance as we do not know you or your level. This is why you should still consult your rigger and show him a listing before purchasing. Avento is not a replacement for personal guidance from your rigger or instructor but makes it easier for you and your rigger to find the right gear for you.

• Pros: Built specifically for skydiving, secure transactions with buyer protection, easy search, low fees, large inventory
• Cons: No personal guidance when buying gear, fewer listings than Facebook (for now..)

Browse Avento

Comparison: Best place to buy your skydiving gear

Scores on a 0 to 10 scale: 0 is the worst, 10 the best possible rating.

Each option has advantages and disadvantages. In the end it comes down to you and what you need.

Q&A

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