General Considerations:

Buying used dive equipment is an excellent way to save a little money when just getting into, or continuing your interest in the sport. Like buying a used car or anything else, second hand, you need to take any steps you can to protect yourself from unscrupulous sellers that only see you as an opportunity to run a scam.

Without a doubt, the number one, most important, rule when buying used scuba gear is KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. This means you don't buy anything used if you don't know exactly what it is. There is no way you can evaluate the deal you are getting if you really don't know for certain what you are buying. This is a very serious trap, especially for new divers that are eager to acquire equipment but who may be a little short on knowledge of the gear they are buying.

A perfect example of getting suckered by a bright and shiny bauble is the Dacor regulator. Dacor made some decent regulators and there are thousands of them out there to be snapped up on eBay or your local newspaper. The problem is, Dacor is out of business so Dacor equipment will soon be unserviceable in the sense no parts exist to complete a repair. If the gear can't be repaired or even serviced it really has no value as a useable piece of diving equipment although it might make an excellent door stop or paper weigh.

Sources For Used Dive Gear:

One of the best sources for used dive gear is you loocal dive shop. If you are trying to find a dive shop in your area you might want to visit MyDiveShop.org which provides listings for many dive shops around the world.

Most local dive shops will have some used gear in stock all the time. This used gear my be the result of customer trades or it may be gear left at the shop on consignment. It is also very common for divers selling their gear to sell it to a local shop that, in turn, offers the gear as used equipment in their shop. One distinct advantage to buying from a local dive shop is you have acces to gear knowledge and opinions you might not possess on your own.

You can always turn to ebay as a resource but the you have a whole new list of things to be wary of. Gulf Coast Info has an article discussing some of things to consider when buying on eBay.

Underwater Photo and Video Gear:

Your local dive shop is a good starting point for this gear. You may find, depending on your local market, that you local shop does not stock much in this category and what they do stock are not the best that is available. Fortunately, there are plenty of places can find good new and used underwater photo and video gear.

B&H Photo Video, a huge mail order camera store in New York has about the largest selection available, of underwater and land photo and video gear. I personally have purchased thousands of dollars of photo gear, lighting, housing and photo supplies from B&H Photo Video over the years and I have never been disappointed.

Some of the brands you will find at B&H; Epoque, Ikelite, Intova, Liquid Image, Nikonos (new and used), Pentax, Sea & Sea, SeaLife, Snap Sights, Aqua Tech, Aquapac, Aquatica, Bonica and more.

B&H has a huge selection of o-rings, parts and accessories for underwater photo and video gear

B&H also carries other dive gear in addition to the huge selection of underwater still and video camera gear

Adorama Camera is another photo video house that has a huge selection of camera gear. Adorama is also based in New York and has a selection similar to what you will find at B&H. Here is a partial list of the brands you will find at Adorama.

Bonica, Oregon Scientific, Digital Concepts, Epoque, Sealife, Fantasea, Canon, Sea & Sea, Liquid Image, Intova, Snap Sights, GoPro Motorsports, VuPoint Solutions, Vivitar