Steve-O,
I appreciate you taking the time to post a reply with valid information with your great amount of experience in this sport. Criticism is always taken well and I appreciate your insight.
I am in the process of posting a buyer/seller agreement (after the lawyers validate the legal side) which will allow for such a 'return to seller' for a full refund if the used gear was not what was agreed upon.
We also have in place a user rating where reputations can help guide the way to a good purchase as well as encourage thorough communication between buyer and seller to ensure enough pictures and data is sent.
Its not that some people 'want to get in cheap'. Its that most CANT afford to participate in a sport they have always wanted to do. The only way to achieve this entry, short of the manufacturers reducing the price point, is to settle for used gear, much how I had to settle for that pair of secondhand hockey skates I got for Christmas when I was 10. I believe that this fantastic sport should be available to anyone, not just those who can afford to spend upwards of $2000 dollars on gear.
Lastly and most importantly, I could not agree with you more on the importance of lessons! First a potential kiteboarder should take the appropriate safety lessons--ONLY then should they make the decision to buy NEW or USED gear.
Thanks again for your time!
Spike
KiteGrab.com