i just had a quick look on ebay to see what kites are on there... and the majority of kites for sales are old 02-04 which not many kiters that know what they are doing would buy.
Which would make me think that the majority of people that buy these kites.. and they were selling would be people that are looking to get into kiting. Do you think everyone that buys them gets lessons? or at least taught by a friend. for example there is a 14 cabhrina co2 04 kite that selling and its current highest bidder is in another state. what if he just decides to go down the beach and just give it a fly. .. It would be so good if you make kiting like scuba diving you have to have a license to do it
btw i am selling 2 kites on there if someone does notice :) but im also an intructor and offering free lessons with the sale and only selling local :)
yer i deffinetly agree 110% alot of people are setting them up wrong and nearly injuring people!!
Yeah stop selling cars too, how can you tell a persons driving skills, the car might be unroadworthy. Leave all the selling to the stores and salesmen then you're assured of it being right !!!! [}:)]
I bought my first lot of kit (04 CO2 Cabrinha) 2 years ago, - 2nd hand through Seebreeze - from a guy who had been tea bagged and seriously bitten by his board on a short leash, second or third time he'd taken it out.
Have just sold it to a young lad in Tassie for $200, he sounds like he knows what he's about and it's not his first kite so I'm not going to fret about him doing himself or anyone else an injury. If he has a tenth as much fun as I had on it I don't think he'll ever regret buying it.
What's the responsible thing to do? Bin your old kite everytime you upgrade to a newer, 'safer?' model???
I do see where you're coming from; if there's a flood of old $200 kites on the market it makes it very easy for every Tom, Dick and Harry to give it a bash and read the instructions afterwards. But then it's not like that never happened before either. You'd have to be at least a couple of sandwiches short if you put up 12 metres of kite without some sense of crapping in your undies and thinking "maybe I should learn how to do this first".
We owe it to each other - and in the interests of keeping our sport as unrestricted as possible - to be responsible when passing on old gear.
J-P 
Ebay is what introduced me to the sport.
The pioneers of this sport started on this gear
Why is it any different these days
Although i know own new gear the old gear taught me to respect the kite and how you can be spanked.
The moment i brought my new kite my skill leval increased 10 fold...
WHY IS THIS YOU SAY......????????????????
Cause i respected the kite. The problem alot of people seem to not understand is that a new kite when you do stuff up it produces so much more power and is that much faster that when you do get hurt you generally take out not only yourself but other people as well and or the outcome can be fatal.
Yes people do the wrong thing but its the same with every sport/ fun thing you like to do, like cars we all love the V8 but there selling for a reason.......
I can give a fine example of an ebayer learning to fly. This guy bought a cheap cabrinha CO2 and had no lessons and came to the local spot, set up incorectly and self launched his kite. His lines where set up wrong and he got picked up, slammed, and couldnt release his safety because he didnt know what it was. He came out with a few hard bruises and cuts. His kite now lives in the trees near the carpark as a permanant reminder for the learners to always get lessons from qualified people, ask others if they can help if your unsure and know how a kite and its safety releases work. Ebay is good to sell your gear, but its up to the buyer to learn and be taught how to use them.
I believe that you have a good point here h20fly.
I sold 2 kites about 2 months ago on Ebay. They were "old" 02 kites C-kites but they were "beginner" kites (F-One L2K and Cabrinha C111). 100$ each.
I am not saying that these are not dangerous if not properly handled but clealry they were designed for beginners.
As long as you clealy mention that they are not "new style" full-depower kites, the buyer is warned and it is is responsibility to deal with the issue of taking lessons.
Want a full-depower kite ? well, then you ahve to be ready to pay a bit more.
You have nothing for nothing right ? So you don't get the best for alomst nothing.
Nevertheless, I fully support your view that some people might try to sell their old C-kites without any warning, and this is definitely a wrong attitude.
I was going to stay out of this thread but it appears no one shares the same views as me,
I have no problem with people selling old kites, the problem comes about when you are unable to make sure the buyer is going to get lessons. What is stopping some less intelligent "Mr Invincible" chucking up the 14m 2002 beginner kite that he just purchased off ebay in 25 knots?
If you want to say thats there problem, well I agree with you. Although what about all the people that kite at that spot that is now banned due to idiots like that, and the poor kid that got hit by the 14m kite looping down the beach?
I say go ahead and sell your second-hand kites, but try and use commonsense.
Best idea I have seen is the shops offering a set trade-in price for old kites when purchasing new gear, to keep them off ebay.
Thanks
Matt
Most accidents in extreme sports are caused by and happen to experienced people.
THe guy who tries a fancy trick close to the shore, or thinks he is "skilled" enough to go out in onshore winds etc.
Selling kites on ebay is fine. Selling kites on seabreeze is heaps better(well faster for me anyway), then again when i sell my 1yr old kite to an experienced kiter do i tell him not to "pull a mobe" within a certain distance from the beach and make sure he gets some tuiton on when to pull a handle pass?
My 14m torch2 with 24m 5 lines is on ebay going very cheap,I am having trouble trying to sell this kite, it cost $1800 18 months ago, so ebay is my only hope. Hopefully who ever buys this kite knows how to fly them, 06 kites should still be worth at least $500 but no one wants c kites anymore and I am not binning this kite. Someone may as well get a bargain and have some fun. Just get lessons..
Anyone who attempts learning to kite without lessons is dumb. But most people should know that for themselves. If they dont - they will find out pretty quick. And it will probably hurt!
It is an entirely different issue to what you should or should not be able to sell on ebay or anywhere online!
I have bought all my kites online - and with a bit of research you might find that you can save yourself a schitload of cash.
Buying online gets bigger and bigger every year and that trend is going to continue. It's very hard for the guys who have shops and I do feel for them, but anyone in that position with any sense should learn to embrace online selling or they WILL get left behind in years to come.
This thread hits the nail on the head for me. Although I hate to do it my x2 14 will go to the tip, over selling it. Do we really want people that don't give a **** kiting with us? I bought a kite for $200, who cares brigade aint welcome as far as I'm concerned. I kited with 2line kites for years, at the time the carnage was pretty funny, but now the sport progessed to the point of dickheads will get us banned etc..............Cut your old kites up, credit card style. Got my kite tangled by this brigade twice lately, and I was the one that was the asshole, figure that one, they don't have a clue of the potential. I don't have a problem with beginners but if I was starting out surfing, I wouldn't be heading to the north shore. Are experienced riders meant to go a k out these days? I find my self kiting at more and more doggy spots to get away from this ****, I guess thats across the board.
Anyway save yourself the crowds destroy your old gear, cash converter ****ers can get fffd
dont know why your all so touchy and woried about whos going to buy the old death trap without working quick release, a company actually had no problems selling you this stuff in the first place, I think there was a 5 page instruction booklet that came with my 2001 ARX and a leaflet stating kiting is potentialy dangerous.
Dont think any of the kite companies ever got sued over an accident or death.
So I am a bad person?
Who wants some Reactors in good nick going cheap?, they woud be a revalation for any newbe,
This topic is starting to get under my skin for the simple reason is that old gear is not bad gear.
How the heck do you think this sport is where it is today...
What by heaps of people DYING.... I DO NOT THINK SO
Old gear is what it is.. When you are selling an old v8 to a 17yr old do you care if he is going to go out that weekend and wrap himself around a pole... NO
you do not wish it. But it up to the person to take responsibility for there purchase.
Old anything is of course not going to be able to achieve what technology has to offer but the $ always affects your decesion.
I love to do wheelies on my bike at 180km/ph... did that affect the guy who sold the bike to me NO!! he got the cash and at the end of the day he made a sale.
Why or how would he/her know what i am going to do...
It's always up to the buyer of anything to know what they are getting into.
It might affect our sport if they mess up but a purchase is a purchase.
Why keep my old gear
the money off your old gear helps get you new gear. when i can sell it. i do not want it for a reason which is out of the buyers conception or reality of there understanding.
As long as they state what there gear is, they or you do not have to state how good or bad it is.(you would not state that you have to spend many $ getting lessons maybe better/safer gear... WOULD YOU!!!!!!
Harden up and accept the times of reality. I dont want any one to hurt themselves but i dont want my old shizzzz, so i sell it.
I watched 2 guys who bought a kite on Ebay and were trying figure it out on the beach in 9-10 knots even worse when the kite fell out of the sky and hit a couple walking along the beach. I had to give em some quick do's and dont's and they were grateful, but hey later I saw one of them, and he did take a lesson and I still catch him down the local out there.....My motto is if you see someone like that... give some advise as everyone was a beginner, if you don't then that's when we avoid the issue and watch our obsession become banned and hearded into spots where crowded , like cattle mooo...breeds anger and then aggression...like the surfing fraternity......something to ponder
And oh I've just sold my kids beedee beads to some guys in London as a party knockout drug ....but hey what can you do !! ............just jokin!
