Critch

All my bows are used. 1970 Kodiak mag willed to me by a Marine friend. 2 shrew classic hunters from Dave P all have seen almost daily shooting and not only works of art but are a pleasure to shoot.:D

Believe if your buying a quality bow from reputable folks you can’t go wrong. Just do the research before you buy.

Now I just have to convince the banker of the family that I really do require a “new bow”.:lol: Or as I say “trying to keep up with the Smithammers”.

Mike

colmike wrote:

Now I just have to convince the banker of the family that I really do require a “new bow”.:lol: Or as I say “trying to keep up with the Smithammers”.

Seriously, though – if you can’t inspect the bow personally, then at least purchase from a reputable seller (personally, I’m leer of used bows on eBay, for example – you may not have any known history of the bow). And don’t be afraid to ask for additional pics of the bow, if needed. Trad archery shops like Rocky Mountain Specialty have an extensive selection of used bows and stand by what they sell.

Smithhammer wrote: [quote=colmike]

Seriously, though – if you can’t inspect the bow personally, then at least purchase from a reputable seller (personally, I’m leer of used bows on eBay, for example – you may not have any known history of the bow). And don’t be afraid to ask for additional pics of the bow, if needed. Trad archery shops like Rocky Mountain Specialty have an extensive selection of used bows and stand by what they sell.

OTOH …

I’ve bought four bows on eBay without having handled them first. Three were exactly as described and are shot several times a month each. The fourth is on its way to me now.

Lots of folks have had lots of luck buying used bows this way, and sometimes a person gets burned very, very badly. I won’t buy anything on eBay without the Buyer Protection Plan in force for the item. I look at the seller’s photos more intently than your proctologist looked at your last colonoscopy. I do a lot of research on the history of how the bow has performed through the years. I skip anything that doesn’t give me a warm fuzzy.

YMMV, in a big, big way. 😉

I should add – prices are sliding downward right now like you-know-what through a goose. Buy a bargain to shoot, but don’t expect to make any money off buying and selling used bows for some time to come. The bloom went off these particular tulip bulbs quite a while ago, and vultures like me have been having our pick of tasty morsels. 😈

Critch wrote: I’m not in the bow business…it’s just that I see some of those classic bows out there and then I get the itch…

+1, on all points. I threw that in as a caution to anyone hoping to make some extra money. There are some great bows to be had now at reasonable prices and less.

I will say that the only bow I’ve bought on eBay (though I’ve looked at many) was a 1970 K-Mag, and it was in excellent shape, just as described by the buyer.

I think that a lot of times you can tell whether a seller knows what they are talking about or not simply by the item description, and what details they have included, and what they haven’t. But don’t hesitate to ask them questions such as, are you the original owner? If not, do you know how many owners the bow has had? Do you know if it has ever been dry fired?

As eidsvolling said, the Buyer Protection Plan is a smart way to go.

I have picked up many bows off ebay and have had great luck with them. in fact out of around 30 bows not one has been bad none have broken or delaminated. some may not be in quite as good shape as advertsied but most of the sellers have been pretty straight up on condition of their items. I have picked up three used John Schultz bows and the only issue ive had was the leather handle on one was in bad shape but it was an easy fix.

I also picked up a couple black widows that were in decent shape. i have also resold allot of bows on ebay and i try to take the best pictures i can and be extrememly honest on the condition. I have not had any unhappy buyers out of probably 50 bows ive sold over the years. In my experience archers are usually pretty decent folks and very honest unlike some of the motorcycle sellers ive dealt with.