Buying a Used Electric Skateboard – All You Need to Know

I have purchased a handful of used electric boards. In today’s market, there are long waits on order fulfillment, as well as shipping times. One way to save time (which is your most valuable resource!) and money is to purchase these boards used. People tend to get excited about the sport and purchase a board immediately without doing proper research. Whether they purchase the wrong board or leave sport shortly after buying the board…they are leaving plenty of opportunities out there for someone looking to save money! People also often get hurt or fall and then in turn put their board up for sale. With that being said, there is just as much risk with purchasing a used board as there is a reward. Let’s talk it through so you can make an informed decision for yourself, and get the most bang for your buck! Research and taking your time are going to be key here,

Where to Buy Used Electric Skateboards 

Let’s go through some of the most popular places to snag a used board at your perfect price point. I have done the heavy lifting for you and you can use this guide as a resource to find your next board. 

Subreddits

A subreddit is a dedicated forum within Reddit tailored to a specific community. You can find subreddits for all types of interests such as building PCs, gaming, BMX, or electric skateboarding! You can find tons of valuable information on Reddit, as well as listings for used electric skateboards. Their user interface can seem a bit complicated at first, but once you get the hang out of it, it’s fairly simple. Check out these threads:

r/electricskateboarding Thread

In this subreddit you can buy, sell or trade! There is a lot of useful information on this page, as well as a big community of people just excited about the growth of the sport. Link to the r/electricskateboarding Megathread.

r/EBoardMarketplace

Similar to the previous thread you can find more boards for sale here. What I love about these threads is that you can sometimes find people selling NEW boards cheaper than from the manufacturer. You just have to search, and sometimes you can find gold! Link to the Subreddit r/EBoardMarketplace.

FB Groups

As the world’s largest social media platform (over 1 BILLION active users) Facebook is stacked with groups where you can share the stoke on the sport, as well as purchase used boards. You can also use the Marketplace to search locally for people selling boards in your area. Being able to meet the seller in person and check out the board before purchasing is always a plus. I am a member of a handful of Facebook groups, and always seem to get just what I need from the groups. They are a solid source of information and knowledge. They are also a great place to meet people and friends to ride within your local area. Riding alone is fun, but riding with a crew is the best! With over 4 THOUSAND members, you may be able to find your perfect board here: Link to Facebook Group “Electric Skateboard for Sale”.

electric-skateboard.builders Forum

Forums are a great place to learn about electric skateboards, as well as scour for used boards and parts. This is a huge forum with tons of worldwide members that you can gather research and search for used boards on. Link to electric-skateboard.builders forum Buy and Sell Thread.

evolveforums.com

Evolve has been steadily growing the Eskate in the community since there start in 2010. They only have a few boards but are putting out solid well-known products. I have ridden just about every Evolve board and they are truly amazing products. Check out their forum here and you can find tons of used boards for sale as well as parts for all different sorts of boards.

eBay

We all know eBay, and you can find just about any board, or part for your liking on eBay. Just have a little patience and keep searching, and what you are looking for usually pops up! I have purchased multiple boards on eBay, I love the buyer protection. It is a great safety net if you receive a product that is not as described. Bidding on boards is also just as fun as buying them. You never know when you will find your next board at an incredible price, and bidding always you to have the platform to do so. I am always bidding on boards just hoping for an awesome deal! The eBay app makes doing so very user friendly and easy. They have amazing customer support as well.

How to Buy a Used Electric Skateboard 

Ask for Original Receipt

It is always best to buy from the original owner if you can. This way you can gather all accurate information on the board. With an original receipt, you will be able to tell if the seller is telling the truth about the age of the board. In some cases, you may even be able to transfer any existing warranties the board may have. 

Check the Condition of the Electric Skateboard

Deck

The decks of the board will take the most abuse. Look for cracks and or splits in any decks. This may compromise the strength and life of the board. 

Chipped Skateboard Deck | Image Credit: buyskateshoes.com

Wheels

Wheels commonly chip. A good set of wheels could cost you over $100 so make sure the board that are you looking to purchase has decent wheels.

Chipped Longboard Wheel | Image Credit: YouTube

Bearings

Bearings will be a bit harder to check out. Most sellers probably won’t want you to take their board apart. But you can still spin the wheels on the board, they should spin freely and have no grinding or clanking noises while in motion. 

Dirty Bearing | Image Credit: instructables.com

Bushings

Make sure your potential new board bushings are in good condition. They are plastic, so much sure they are not cracked or chipped or rotted out.

Trucks + Bushings

Enclosures 

Check out the enclosure to ensure that they are sealed properly and not cracked anywhere. These house your ESC (electronic speed controller) and your batteries. If there is damage to the enclosures there may be damage to the electrics which is a big red flag. 

Enclosure in good condition

Remote Control

Remotes commonly have LCDs to display board mileage and battery info. Remotes also house rechargeable batteries. Make sure any remotes are free of condensation on the screen as well as cracks and scratches. Remotes are replaceable but could cost upwards of $150.

Scratched Remote Control

Battery 

Asking your seller how many charge cycles the battery has been through is one of the most important questions you can ask. This will tell you the life expectancy of the batteries in the board. These can be very expensive to replace so make sure you get accurate information here. Some boards remotes track charge cycles, and some people will track manually. If not, you should be able to use the boards odometer to gather total miles, then divide that by range of 1 full battery to get a rough idea on how many charge cycles the boards battery has been through. 

Keep in mind that a Li-Ion Battery (standard battery used for eskates) last anywhere from 300 to 1000 cycles.

Eskate Battery

Ask for the ridden Miles

Just like a car, some remotes/apps for electronic boards track miles. This is just as important as charge cycles. Be sure to check the miles on the board before purchasing. If the board doesn’t track miles ask the seller if they have been tracking miles manually with a GPS app.

Look what’s included

Make sure you are getting everything that is included with the original purchase. All boards should come with some tools, charger, manuals and some have spare parts. If a board is missing parts or what originally comes packaged with it, this could reduce the potential sale price. If the seller is the original purchaser, they should have everything that originally came with the board. 

Final thoughts

I love buying used boards, and you will too. Similar to cars, you can save tons of money and time and usually sell the board again for a minimal monetary loss if you want to change boards and try something new. As long as you understand the market, have the cash to purchase you can always find a good deal out there. I was able to buy and sell three boards this month alone, with no loss. This gave me the ability to try them all and see what I like before keeping one that I really really enjoy! The market is very good right now to buy and sell used boards. Long shipping times and order fulfillment leave a void to be filled across the world, and buying a used board might be a more efficient option for you, than buying a new board. Happy searching!

3 thoughts on “Buying a Used Electric Skateboard – All You Need to Know”

  1. Hello, daniel
    This is Joseph Lau from Ownboard
    Love your jobs. Just want to check if you are interesting in review our boards

    Reply
  2. Hello,
    I bought a used fick Grand Master offroad E board, from Australia. Don’t think the fiiker’s at fiik are in business anymore.
    Had new lithium battery and replaced wireless remote with a wired remote from Egluide. All was good, left it outside= got rained on a bit. Board no longer works.
    Eglide apparently out of business now.
    Suggestions on what to replace or repair to get it rolling again?

    Reply
  3. Thanks for sharing this information. My skateboards could be my buddy the entire summer. Not only does it give me fun, but it also brings out a creative mind inside me.

    Reply

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