How to Buy Discounted Exercise Equipment
Feb. 15th, 2008 04:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabrinamariA friend asked a question related to this, so:
1. Visit fitness equipment stores and try out all the equipment you are evenly vaguely interested in. Wear comfy, loose clothes and slot a couple of hours to make it all the way through a big store.
Secondhand equipment stores are great! We have one---Reps Fitness Supply---on Rt. 22 East. There's also usually a NordicTrack store in most larger malls.
Visit several local stores. Try everything. Be sure you 'fit' the machine. For example, NordiTrack's ellipticals require a longer, wider stance than I can comfortably manage. But Vision ellipticals adjust to my stride length and width just right.
2. Take notes! Take notes on the models you like and why and the models you hate and why, and those you would consider buying and why. Note the retail selling price.
3. Once this is done, look at your list and figure out what you really want. DO NOT BUY CHEAP EXERCISE EQUIPMENT. It will not last and you will regret it later. Aim for mid-range and higher-range pieces of equipment.
4. Once you know exactly what you want, go to Craigslist and Ebay to look for what you want. Freecycle is also a possibility. On Ebay you can customize a search so that all pieces of equipment fitting your specifications are flagged and a list of them is emailed to you when they are posted.
5. When you get an email telling you that an interesting a piece of equipment has been put on auction, go browse. You are looking for an item that is housed at a local place, no more than a few hours drive away. It should be marked "Pickup Only".
6. When you see something you want on sale locally, examine the listing carefully. Look at the pictures and ask the seller any questions. By now, you'll have a sense of the going sale price on Ebay because you've been looking at listings (and going back to see what the most interesting pieces finally sold for!).
7. Place your bid and/or be online, ready to swoop in at the last minute and win your item.
8. When you win a piece, find a friend with a truck or mini-van or rent a truck yourself. Bribe someone to go with you and get the equipment. Voila!
To make this work you MUST do your research first. You must know exactly what's out there, what you want and why. You must have a sense of its going price on Ebay. And finally, you have to wait for a local piece of what you want to go on sale.
I waited over a year for a WaterRower and got it for half the retail price. It was so, so worth it.
1. Visit fitness equipment stores and try out all the equipment you are evenly vaguely interested in. Wear comfy, loose clothes and slot a couple of hours to make it all the way through a big store.
Secondhand equipment stores are great! We have one---Reps Fitness Supply---on Rt. 22 East. There's also usually a NordicTrack store in most larger malls.
Visit several local stores. Try everything. Be sure you 'fit' the machine. For example, NordiTrack's ellipticals require a longer, wider stance than I can comfortably manage. But Vision ellipticals adjust to my stride length and width just right.
2. Take notes! Take notes on the models you like and why and the models you hate and why, and those you would consider buying and why. Note the retail selling price.
3. Once this is done, look at your list and figure out what you really want. DO NOT BUY CHEAP EXERCISE EQUIPMENT. It will not last and you will regret it later. Aim for mid-range and higher-range pieces of equipment.
4. Once you know exactly what you want, go to Craigslist and Ebay to look for what you want. Freecycle is also a possibility. On Ebay you can customize a search so that all pieces of equipment fitting your specifications are flagged and a list of them is emailed to you when they are posted.
5. When you get an email telling you that an interesting a piece of equipment has been put on auction, go browse. You are looking for an item that is housed at a local place, no more than a few hours drive away. It should be marked "Pickup Only".
6. When you see something you want on sale locally, examine the listing carefully. Look at the pictures and ask the seller any questions. By now, you'll have a sense of the going sale price on Ebay because you've been looking at listings (and going back to see what the most interesting pieces finally sold for!).
7. Place your bid and/or be online, ready to swoop in at the last minute and win your item.
8. When you win a piece, find a friend with a truck or mini-van or rent a truck yourself. Bribe someone to go with you and get the equipment. Voila!
To make this work you MUST do your research first. You must know exactly what's out there, what you want and why. You must have a sense of its going price on Ebay. And finally, you have to wait for a local piece of what you want to go on sale.
I waited over a year for a WaterRower and got it for half the retail price. It was so, so worth it.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 09:43 pm (UTC)