Paypal buyer protection - buying an item from abroad (sport parachute) advertised on Facebook

DCFC79

pmduk wrote: »

Facebook is not a medium to use for reliable transactions. End of.

Its not a site I would look to spend an amount like 1500 euros on.

hollydays

In the winter you can get cheap budget flights to Cagliari airport.

waamo

pmduk wrote: »

Facebook is not a medium to use for reliable transactions. End of.

I don't know. As the op is hurtling towards the ground I'm sure he will be more than happy knowing he has buyers protection on the second hand parachute bought of Facebook.

sky_rat

Just thought I would update this post - the parachute arrived in less than a week and was as described in the advert, its virtually brand new and nearly £1000 cheaper than a new one. The parachute was inspected by a professional rigger and I have used it 10 times (bad weekend weather has stopped me from using it more).

Unfortunately there is no dedicated site for selling used skydiving equipment, which is why there are quite a few different Facebook groups (which you have to request to join) that are setup for selling skydiving equipment. A lot of people buy used skydiving equipment as brand new equipment is extremely expensive, usually custom made with long lead times. The skydiving community is a very closed knit group of people and they have a reputation of taking care and looking out for each other. Thats probably because of the nature of the sport.

I did a lot of background checking on the seller, I contacted the owner of the dropzone he works at to confirm his identity and character, I contacted mutual friends he had on Facebook, I asked friends of mine who are professional skydiving instructors and riggers for advice and opions. I found out the seller sells equipment all over the world, he has his own website selling new equipment and also owns a dropzone himself. Any bad publicity would have been a concern for his business.