Are you looking to buy used archery equipment?
Well, here is a list of places you might look if you live in Toronto:
#1. The Toronto Archery Club on Facebook
Simply join the Facebook group and then post the item you are looking to sell. When it sells you can mark in the comments that it has already been sold. Or alternatively, just delete the posting after it is sold.
If you are looking to buy, you simply arrange to meet the seller, see what you are buying, bring cash, and make a final decision as to whether to buy the bow or archery equipment in question. Try not to waste their time unless you are serious about buying in the first place.
Also it is considered bad form to haggle last minute. If you want to haggle, do it online before you meet in person.
Never buy anything that isn't exactly what the person promised they were selling. eg. If they say the bow is in perfect condition, and it is evidently not in perfect condition because it has a giant crack in the riser, then definitely do not buy it.
And sellers, don't bother trying to sell something you know is damaged. Or if it is damaged, you should advertise the fact that it is damaged and describe how it is damaged so any potential buyers know what to expect.
#2. Online Classifieds
Craigslist and Kijiji both operate classifieds for Toronto and the GTA. Posting on there is free.
More or less the same advice as above.
#3. eBay.ca
You can also put your archery equipment up for sale for a specific price (buyout) on eBay.ca or you can let people bid on the item. There is a fee involved, and you will need to determine the cost of shipping the archery equipment. This is why selling locally via a club or classifieds is cheaper and easier, but you can potentially get a better price on eBay.ca if you are selling something that is highly desirable and/or rare.
If you are looking to buy antique or vintage archery equipment, eBay is one of the best places to go because there is a lot of selection. Be forewarned however, the bidding can be pretty fierce and other bidders can "snipe" an item during the last minute of bidding in an effort to get a deal. So you need to be prepared to lose a few auctions.
eBay's selection isn't limited to bows either, as many types of other archery equipment and historical items can also be found on there. Old magazines, antique arrows, old manuals/books, arrowheads, equipment that isn't sold in stores any more, etc.
eBay also has a lot of cheap knockoffs and counterfeits you should be wary of - usually new equipment built in China. So while that does mean you can get a cheap bow on eBay, the bow in question probably won't last as long as you were hoping.
You should also be wary of any seller with a bad reputation, and only buy a bow where they have posted photographs of every angle of the bow. If they only post 1 photo and it is blurry, that is not a good bow to be buying.
So for example if they are showing an image of a young woman holding a bow upside down and is holding both the bow and gripping the bow string in the wrong manner... Do not buy that bow! Because clearly the seller has no clue what they are doing, just like the model in the photograph has no clue what they are doing.
Buying on eBay (or anywhere else online) is Buyer Beware. Buying in person is always best.
