Things to look for when buying used?

[RollingPanda]

Hey everyone,

So I'm still debating on what to get for my first AEG rifle, between picking up a G&G CM Raider new for ~$175 or a used gun of similar specs at a price much less than that.

I have seen various posts for used guns that somewhat fit my criteria (obviously, not on the classifieds here since I haven't been AV'ed yet), but being the complete newbie I am, is there a list of questions or parts of the rifle I should pay attention to when I buy used?

(If there is a thread or sticky that I may have missed addressing this, my apologies as I must have missed it).

[BioRage]

Results vary, you could have a guy with high feedback and still sell you a piece of shit.

Usually though, if their feedback is good, they won't, but just putting it out there.

Some guns you buy used depend on the owner, each owner are different. Some people are OCD and clean them and maintain them 120%, where as some are "whatever," "in the closet" etc...

SPECIFICS for AEG's, I can't tell you since I'm a GBB kinda d00d.

[Fenrir92]

In addition to looking at their Trader Rating, look at the how much detail/information is provided in the post (once you get AV'ed that is). The more information the better.

An ideal detailed post would generally provide info about:
- the condition of the gun (new, almost new, stock, upgraded, broken etc.)
- how many rounds have been put through it or how many games has the gun been used
- FPS (feet per second), RPS (rounds per second), approximate range
- list of parts (internal/external) if the gun is upgraded*

* Be wary of posts that say "upgraded" without providing any detail. To some people, an "upgraded" gun can be a stock gun with a sight and suppressor.

[pestobanana]

I will almost never buy a used gun, unless it is guaranteed bone stock, functional, and unpainted. Even then, I am weary. Half of the time "upgraded" used guns are worse than stock, because most of the time people have no idea what they're doing. I got a gun off ASC a few months ago, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it until I sold it to BioRage up there. He messaged me later saying the HOP UP RUBBER WAS FUCKING MELTED.

I've bought used "upgraded" guns from the classifieds when I was new. They all called themselves gun doctors or took them to reputable ones. What I found was shit like a completely rusted inner barrel, cracks in the receiver, misfit screws, fucked up internals... You name it. To a noob, the sellers looked pretty reputable too. One of them had over 100 positive ratings.

I have gotten some pretty good deals from the classifieds, so I am still open to buying used guns occasionally, but it must be guaranteed bone stock and un-fucked. As far as "upgraded" guns go, I will only buy them from a builder I trust, of which there are very few. One guy offered a gun to me as a trade, it was an instant bag of NOPE from me. It was built by a guy that some seem to think is reputable, and would sound like an amazing build to people that are clueless. Just looking at the posted performance specs I could tell that something was wrong with the shimming, something was wrong with the air seal, and that a gigantic hole was drilled in the stock to install the MOSFET.

[Hectic]

For used stuff it's best to buy local. That way you can go take a look before you commit. Trader ratings are helpful however used stuff is used. Just like a vehicle you never know how it was maintained. Who did the work on it. What kind of parts they used etc... so you must be aware that you may get a good solid gun or you may wind up with a bunch of repairs the first time you fire it.
I will give this advice, without trying to sound leetist or something.
If i was gonna buy a low end gun (cyma, jg, the entry level gandg stuff like you are looking at) I would buy new because let's face it they aren't that expensive, and they aren't that quality so at least buying new you will know how many rounds and what abuse it suffers.
If i was looking higher end (vfc, LCT systema) I would browse the classifieds for a deal but likely would just buy new unless I could save 40% or more or get a bunch of "freebies" like mags and sights n such

[BioRage]

If you're new and don't know anything, buying local or not doesn't help. It helps to an extent that it works on the spot, but the next time you use it .. it could be busted :\

Trader rating does go a long way, but doesn't mean that the product won't be "broken." I've done numerous of trades, some bad, some good.

As Hectic stated, if it's a cheap brand like G&G lower end models, CYMA, JG, etc.. just buy them new.

Only when you start going 300+ I'd look into used VFC's.

[RollingPanda]

Originally Posted by BioRage

Results vary, you could have a guy with high feedback and still sell you a piece of shit.

Usually though, if their feedback is good, they won't, but just putting it out there.

Some guns you buy used depend on the owner, each owner are different. Some people are OCD and clean them and maintain them 120%, where as some are "whatever," "in the closet" etc...

SPECIFICS for AEG's, I can't tell you since I'm a GBB kinda d00d.

Definitely, its like buying from eBay. A good track record great to have, but isn't a 100% predictor of future behaviour as they can turn on you any time

Originally Posted by Fenrir92

In addition to looking at their Trader Rating, look at the how much detail/information is provided in the post (once you get AV'ed that is). The more information the better.

An ideal detailed post would generally provide info about:
- the condition of the gun (new, almost new, stock, upgraded, broken etc.)
- how many rounds have been put through it or how many games has the gun been used
- FPS (feet per second), RPS (rounds per second), approximate range
- list of parts (internal/external) if the gun is upgraded*

* Be wary of posts that say "upgraded" without providing any detail. To some people, an "upgraded" gun can be a stock gun with a sight and suppressor.

Great, thanks a lot for the list!
The ad I was looking at listed a bunch of upgrades that I could not value nor did I know what they were. I'll have to look into those questions and parts more if I do but used (in the future)

Originally Posted by pestobanana

I will almost never buy a used gun, unless it is guaranteed bone stock, functional, and unpainted. Even then, I am weary. Half of the time "upgraded" used guns are worse than stock, because most of the time people have no idea what they're doing. I got a gun off ASC a few months ago, I didn't think there was anything wrong with it until I sold it to BioRage up there. He messaged me later saying the HOP UP RUBBER WAS FUCKING MELTED.

I've bought used "upgraded" guns from the classifieds when I was new. They all called themselves gun doctors or took them to reputable ones. What I found was shit like a completely rusted inner barrel, cracks in the receiver, misfit screws, fucked up internals... You name it. To a noob, the sellers looked pretty reputable too. One of them had over 100 positive ratings.

I have gotten some pretty good deals from the classifieds, so I am still open to buying used guns occasionally, but it must be guaranteed bone stock and un-fucked. As far as "upgraded" guns go, I will only buy them from a builder I trust, of which there are very few. One guy offered a gun to me as a trade, it was an instant bag of NOPE from me. It was built by a guy that some seem to think is reputable, and would sound like an amazing build to people that are clueless. Just looking at the posted performance specs I could tell that something was wrong with the shimming, something was wrong with the air seal, and that a gigantic hole was drilled in the stock to install the MOSFET.

Thanks for the advice and sorry to hear that you and BioRage had that experience. I'm getting more and more swayed to buy new, especially considering that it is just a basic starter gun. So someone with no experience like me definitely won't be able to tell if something has defects if experienced people still encounter mishaps.

Originally Posted by Hectic

For used stuff it's best to buy local. That way you can go take a look before you commit. Trader ratings are helpful however used stuff is used. Just like a vehicle you never know how it was maintained. Who did the work on it. What kind of parts they used etc... so you must be aware that you may get a good solid gun or you may wind up with a bunch of repairs the first time you fire it.
I will give this advice, without trying to sound leetist or something.
If i was gonna buy a low end gun (cyma, jg, the entry level gandg stuff like you are looking at) I would buy new because let's face it they aren't that expensive, and they aren't that quality so at least buying new you will know how many rounds and what abuse it suffers.
If i was looking higher end (vfc, LCT systema) I would browse the classifieds for a deal but likely would just buy new unless I could save 40% or more or get a bunch of "freebies" like mags and sights n such

Yep, the plan was to buy local and meet face to face at the beginning as I would at least like to see it in action or try it personally. (And to also get a gut feeling, vibe sort of a deal)

Nope, you didn't come off leetist or anything, I appreciate your advice. It would make more sense to buy new now, and then consider other options in the future.

Originally Posted by BioRage

If you're new and don't know anything, buying local or not doesn't help. It helps to an extent that it works on the spot, but the next time you use it .. it could be busted :\

Trader rating does go a long way, but doesn't mean that the product won't be "broken." I've done numerous of trades, some bad, some good.

As Hectic stated, if it's a cheap brand like G&G lower end models, CYMA, JG, etc.. just buy them new.

Only when you start going 300+ I'd look into used VFC's.

True, used is used and if I was going to spend an amount, I might as well go new for now. Thank you!

[Slodin]

If you are new...just don't...
I actually been watching prices for a while to sorta know what is a good buy for the price.

however, the conditions of a airsoft gun is too hard to tell unless you open it up, which is impossible at a meet up. You can test fire a mag of semi and full auto, but it doesn't tell you anything beyond: "this gun shoots". Since you don't know how worn the gears and internal parts are, if hopup is bad and long list of things...

I buy my used airsoft guns at cheap cheap prices, so I don't care if it breaks, I can just replace the parts...at most I make sure the gearbox is not broken, which 99% of the time is fine...

PS: most guns I buy are titled no problems, but THEY almost always have problems. I don't do much buying on this forum tho, the prices are so ridiculous for a used gun sometimes...although at times there are good deals..

[Zfurlong]

My recommendation for your first one or two guns is to buy new. Then buy a complete gearbox that works to have spare parts as well as to learn the inner workings of your gun so you will be able to maintain it and upgrade/replace parts as they break. I would recommend starting with a gun with a v2 gearbox, it's the most commonly used (the v3 being the next most common). In general all gearboxes have the same parts (for the most part) just laid out slightly differently. I started with a v6 and v2. The v2 was by far the easier of the two to learn on.
Now to answer your question,
The more info the owner can give on the gun the better. Parts used, how many rounds/games the gun has seen in its current condition, how many rounds the gun has seen as a whole, what might need replacing in the near future, any issues with the gun, wether mechanically or aesthetically, the velocity, when it was last chronoed, when it was last maintained, wether it's properly shimmed by a reputable tech or not, what bbs have been used (a definite indicator if a barrel change is needed), what batteries have been used, (will tell you if trigger contacts are on their way out or not), if it has a MOSFET, and how many owners the gun has had.

[lurkingknight]

I'm with pesto on this. Unless you know the person and know how the gun performs and have seen it in person, it's often not worth your time or money. Some of the price people ask are outrageous and not far from new price.

Just buy it new so you don't have to worry about stripped/overtightened screws or poorly installed shit.


buy new gun.. shoot it till it breaks, then decide if you want to fix the gearbox or put in a new one, generally fixing is better if you know a good tech. Drop ins are never guaranteed to fit perfectly with a 'close enough' industry standard for manufacturing tolerances.

[Armyissue]

When buying a used car a 2015 Toyota 4 runner is 60K a 2010 is 20K.
You know why.

Sellers try to get too much out of a two year old gun.
Used gun 50% off Retail

[waylander]

I've only bought a few guns used but have not been impressed so far. Got a scar L and it looked fine, was shooting fine but the bb's were dropping too much so I turn the hop up wheel to increase hop and the damn thing falls off....

I'm with the others, do NOT buy used if you're new, just because it shoots doesn't mean it shoots well....

[RollingPanda]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I will be heading to another local store tomorrow to check out some guns and hopefully, come out with something shiny!

[Zfurlong]

The new raider line by g&g is supposed to be quite a bit better than their older lines. Supposedly they have full metal receivers as well as key mod rail already on it.

[waylander]

Originally Posted by Zfurlong

The new raider line by g&g is supposed to be quite a bit better than their older lines. Supposedly they have full metal receivers as well as key mod rail already on it.

And pre-installed mosfet