dEFCON Airsoft’s Second Hand Buyers / Sellers Guide
Whilst the price of Airsoft guns has fallen dramatically over the past few years, still the most economical way to get into the hobby is through the purchase of second hand Airsoft weapons. Whereas with new AEG purchases, you will need to purchase additional items such as batteries, magazines and chargers, with most second hand sales these items will be included, bringing down the cost of entry level kit.
Prices can vary depending on the model you’re buying, whether it’s had any upgrades, its age, and how many additional accessories are included, but at the moment (2007) you can expect to pay around £150 for an AEG, a couple of hi-caps and a battery. Now, as most AEG’s fall between the £140 – £170 price bracket new (and these are just for your standard popular models such as the MP5, M4 etc..), Hi-Caps are priced at around £25 each, and similar for a battery, you can make some big savings. To give you an example, a friend of mine recently purchased a second hand Tokyo Marui AUG Civilian. He’d not seen the gun, and had little information about it. For £140 he got a fully internally upgraded weapon, firing at 340fps, with 4 Hi-Cap magazines, 1 Low-Cap, fully boxed with instructions… an absolute bargain!
As with any second hand items, care needs to be taken when purchasing them, especially when the majority of these sales are done without ever seeing the goods until money has exchanged hands. Now, I’m not saying that there are a large number of unscrupulous people out there, who are waiting to remove your hard earned cash in return for a box of nuts and bolts, but it does and can happen. So we’ve put together a number of tips for you to assist you in buying and selling your weapon and/or kit.
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Tips For Sellers
In order to complete a sale of any item, it is important to make the advert both as attractive and descriptive as possible, so the potential buyer feels safe in the knowledge that all the information is available to them, whilst making your advert stand out a little from the crowd. Important information to always provide for any Airsoft sale are the following:
Make and model – This will avoid questions from confused buyers, as an example, how many different MP5 clones are there?
Description of everything that is included – This should include ALL items, even details such as whether the item is boxed, includes instructions etc. This will avoid any questions such as ‘is there a battery included’, ‘how many magazines etc…’
Approximate Age – Be as accurate as possible as to the age of the weapon.
How many rounds fired – Again, be as accurate as possible, this helps the buyer assess the condition of the internals.
Detail ANY damage – No matter how small, detail any damage the gun has suffered, including scratches and scuffs. It is important to make sure your buyer knows exactly what they are buying, and the condition it is in.
Upgraded or Stock – Detail whether this weapon has been upgraded at all, or is in stock condition
Price or Offers – If you have an asking price in mind, list it with your advert including whether postage is included or extra. You can always lower your price if your item isn’t selling, so start off with your max and drop it if needed. Including ‘Offers Welcome’ and not specifying a price means you will get a lot of PM’s or replies offering you various different prices. Don’t be offended if some of them are lower than you expected, it does happen, if in doubt specify something like ‘Offers over £amount’ to avoid unwanted bids.
Trades or No Trades – Make it crystal clear whether you are willing to accept trades for other Airsofting goods or not. It is important you make it clear if you are not, as this will avoid potential buyers wasting their time and yours. If you are willing to accept trades, all those who offer should give you the same information as you have offered above.
Offer Photos – Photos will put buyer’s minds at rest, and are useful for visually displaying all the items for sale, and for detailing any damage if applicable. The majority of buyers will ask for photos, so either post them with the advert or have them ready on request.
Method of payment – Try and offer a few methods of payment to choose from, e.g. Pay pal (it is acceptable to ask for +4% to cover pay pal fees), Bank Transfer, Cheque etc..
Posting – Always send your items recorded, it proves you sent them should they go missing, which means you are not responsible for their loss! Always inform the buyer the moment you have posted it.
Tips For Buyers
You should always be on the look out for the information listed above, and if it is not stated then feel free to politely ask for it. You should never make hasty decisions unless you are fully satisfied with the description of what you are buying. A lot of Forum’s offer a feedback system, so you can use that seller’s feedback rating to gauge how reliable and trust worthy they are, but if they do not yet have a rating, don’t be put off, they might just be new! Here are a few tips for before and after the purchase:
* If the item listing states ‘No Trades’, please, PLEASE don’t offer… it is very annoying.
* If placing an offer on an item, offer an honest, reasonable price.
* Don’t show an interest in items if you do not currently have the means to pay, it wastes everyone’s time.
* Don’t be afraid to ask for contact details such as a daytime telephone number.
* Avoid requests for Western Union money transfers, insist on Pay pal / Bank Transfer or Cheque. Western Union transfers are often used by con-artists as it allows very quick access to your money over the counter.
* Ask that the item be sent recorded delivery. This will leave the seller with proof of posting, and makes the item easier to track through the postage system. Sending items insured is also recommended.
* Let the seller know when the item arrived, so they know you received it in good condition.
Once the item has arrived, it is important you check it over fully to make sure that there are no problems, because if any are apparent, they need to be reported to the seller ASAP. A few things to look for are:
* Does the weapon feed rounds ok without mis-feeding or jamming?
* If it’s a gas weapon, make sure all of the seals are in good condition and lubricated.
* AEG’s: Check to make sure the fuse is in place and of the correct current rating.
* Check to make sure the hop-up functions correctly.
* Check the barrel – it might want a clean!
* If a battery is included, ensure it is in a good safe condition before charging
* Overall physical condition, is the item exactly as described to you!
Where is the best place to look for second hand Airsoft items?
Well, the first place to look are the forums. Arnies Airsoft or Airsoft Community forums are all good places to search for second hand items. E-Bay also sell certain Airsoft good such as gas, batteries, face-masks and other accessories etc, but NOT Airsoft guns themselves. (ebay.com permits the sale of Airsoft replicas within the United States)
There are a number of different places to advertise second hand Airsoft items, and purchase them from. Here are a few of them:
Arnies Airsoft – There is a classified adverts section on Arnies too, which is quite popular.
Airsoft Community Forums – Possibly the largest on the net!
EBay – Although it is against EBay.co.uk listing policies to advertise Airsoft weapons, you can purchase accessories from here such as batteries, chargers, ammo, gas and some body / internal parts. Worth a look. Ebay.com allows the sale of Airsoft replicas within the United States
