A rant...

[pirhana92]

I've been playing paintball since 2008 and have bought and sold stuff since then. I've never had the money until recent to buy new gear (with the exception of cheap stuff). I swear to God almost every used gun, loader and tank I've ever bought has had issues. Leaking, not shooting, broken parts, etc. It might work for a week and then it doesn't work. I have the worst luck when it comes to buying used gear so I've made the decision that I'm only buying new stuff. Just ordered a new tank and I'm waiting for the wifes approval to pull the trigger on a PE170r. I'm sure some people can relate and maybe I just suck at teching stuff but it's so annoying when I buy something and I can't even use it at the field before it breaks.

[OpusX]

I mean if your gear isn't 20 plus years old and doesn't need constant maintenance ....whats that like?

[ford]

Your 'buying used' experience is close to my experience as well. Buying from MCB (especially member BST) has generally been a better experience from the old PBN days but I never buy anything used expecting them to be exactly what they seem.

In the past if I've needed something reliable, buying used has not been the way to go for me. I would buy mid range Planet Eclipse new products and those were always great.

[pintbuster]

I like old ANS cockers, so I assume they didn't work all that great from the factory and will need a full rebuild.
What really bugs me is when someone sells something with a missing part.

[pirhana92]

That has happened to me so many times. Most recently I bought an Azodin KP3 and it was missing one of the asa rail screws so the asa was loose. I was like really you couldn't mention that?

[Fossilhead]

Y'know, if you ask for a shooting video....

[Jonnydread]

Y'know, if you ask for a shooting video....

I get what you mean, but I have had guns that work great in the hands of the seller (with video evidence) that arrive on my doorstop absolutely pissing air.

At this point I just assume anything I buy secondhand will need a full rebuild. That way I'm either expecting it or pleasantly surprised.

[glaman5266]

Yup. Anything I buy used automatically gets a rebuild.

[superman]

sounds like your buying from people that don't frequently sell stuff. Everything i sell is tested before it's listed and tested again before it goes in the box to ship.

[Jonnydread]

On the other side of that, there are "flippers" who buy and sell gear all the time, but perform zero tech.

[superman]

And then there are those that tech everything even the things that don't need it.

[Olsson]

I mean if your gear isn't 20 plus years old and doesn't need constant maintenance ....what's the point?

Fixed it for you.

[Loophole]

I am pretty drawn to Janky old stuff that i expect to not work but i totally get your point! Unless it is stated as a fresh rebuild i always take the idea of "working" as a very temporary status.

MCB is great though! Especially the greenie section. I don't think i have been dissappointed by very many transactions here.

I have also had parts that were sold to me as "x, y and z" and turned out to not be what i expected them to be. My own cluelessness has gotten the best of me. These days i just stick to what i know. Janky pumps!

Edit: I guess i also sell quite a few Markers as "projects" at a loss because i simply don't have the time or parts on hand to rebuild it but i try to be as upfront as possible.

[Spider!]

If you don't do your own tech, you need a tech available eventually, kind of like cars.

Even Eclipse markers get a bad o-ring sometimes. Bad o-rings helped kill WDP, in their last release of ~$1.2k - $1.4k markers.

Some markers also collect paint easily too, making them require disassembly more often.

[Chuck E Ducky]

M170R is a good choice it’s so great they are almost boring. Planet Eclipse definitely make the most reliable markers and the Mech ones have even less to go wrong. They are bulletproof.

I highly suggest a Rotor LTR hopper with some Lithium Ion batteries for it. Exalt speed feed if you want one. The type that sandwiches between the two cover half’s. Ditch the fancy and expensive for cheap bullet proof reliability.

^This setup^ should be very very reliable and extremely durable. After 5 or so cases pull the bolt wipe it down lube it up and go it shouldn’t ever let you down.

I would still buy a used M170R tho. Or one of those Inception 3M with the sick ripper bodies.

From what I have found fixing others markers.

People don’t do any kind of preventative maintenance.

They love to buy accessories but have no idea how to set their equipment up to use them. They often over tighten strip parts scratch up and have very little mechanical knowledge before attempting to change out perfectly well engineered parts out for unknowns. If that’s your thing fine but it’s not the road to reliability.

Also some markers just suck.

[Cdn_Cuda]

I mostly buy from my local market, meaning old markers that haven’t been used in a while. I like to take everything apart and fix things, with varying degrees of success (I’m looking at you, NME) and I do my best to disclose any issues before selling.

But just by the nature of paintball markers, things can easily change. Different climates, different air tanks and even sometimes things just wear out at random times. It can happen regardless of how much effort the seller puts in to try to ensure everything works.

[glaman5266]

"But just by the nature of paintball markers, things can easily change. Different climates, different air tanks and even sometimes things just wear out at random times. It can happen regardless of how much effort the seller puts in to try to ensure everything works."

I've had this happen, but thankfully only once. Sold a guy a Rainmaker on the previous forum. Worked when I shipped it, didn't when he got it. He never approached me about it directly on the forum, but he posted about the marker's issues and he was not happy at all. Tried helping him out, but never found out if he got it working. Some guns, like the RM, are just prone to that sort of thing.

[iamthelazerviking]

As it has been mentioned already, assume anything used will need a rebuild even if they provide a video of it working. No matter what I always tear down, clean, inspect o-rings, relube.

Even if it's a new marker, from the factory they either under or over lube so have to redo everything to my liking.

The most idiot proof marker I've owned is definitely the Emek or 3M. Even bone dry and filthy, if the o-rings are good it will shoot.

[BigRed]

I mostly buy from my local market, meaning old markers that haven’t been used in a while. I like to take everything apart and fix things, with varying degrees of success (I’m looking at you, NME) and I do my best to disclose any issues before selling.

But just by the nature of paintball markers, things can easily change. Different climates, different air tanks and even sometimes things just wear out at random times. It can happen regardless of how much effort the seller puts in to try to ensure everything works.

Lump me in with you Cuda. I like the process of bringing an old marker back to life.

When I sell stuff on, I'll include any issues. Though I did hear back once that there was a barrel leak (cup seal) after the buyer got it, so it can happen even with the best of intentions.

[flyweightnate]

Part of the problem is the orings themselves. If they're old enough, they'll survive the first round of air, then crack when depressurized and fail the next time. Urethane is especially traitorous.

MCB is a ton better than other sites, though. Most people here do tech their stuff, almost compulsively. There's only one guy I can remember who sold me a "works great" cocker that leaked like a sieve. Owned a shop, too... if only online. He's gone now, and good riddance. Everyone else has been pretty honest about condition when selling.