Paintball is a simple enough sport to play conceptually speaking, but purchasing paintball gear can be confusing for a new player or for parents of young players who may not know what they are really looking for. There certainly isn’t any lack of variety in what products or name brands are available for consideration, but one of the biggest challenges for consumers is choosing cost over functionality. If everyone had the budget to purchase only the most expensive gear, apparel, and accessories then building a start up kit would be easy, but that is rarely the case for those of us who are “budget ballers”.
The plain and simple truth is that paintball is an expensive hobby for people looking to own the equipment they use regularly, and buying the wrong item or an item that doesn’t work as expected is a big deal. This problem can be aggravated by the fact that many of us don’t have an actual “brick and mortar” retail store where we live that specializes in paintball equipment. There may be stores that have a few items, or they might sell the bare minimum odds and ends, but there are some seriously steep drawbacks to buying items this way.
Today’s post will be about making informed purchasing choices over the internet from retailers and private sellers alike. As someone who has made some mistakes, I can offer up some advice about what items and situations to avoid as you build your collection of paintball gear. I have also linked a video below that I made specifically explaining the pitfalls of buying paintball masks online without the ability to “try before you buy”, so check that out as well if you have a free 20 minutes or so.
Let’s first address the issue of going to a standard sporting goods retailer to purchase paintball gear. We all probably have stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Scheel’s, Walmart, and so on in our home towns that offer a limited selection of paintball items that they typically lump together with cheap BB Guns near the hunting and shooting supplies. They normally sit on bottom shelves out of normal view, and the dusty boxes and sealed plastic packaging normally show just how little attention they get from average shoppers. This is typically reason enough not to purchase most of the things you need from a normal department store retailer, but we’ve all been tempted at one point or another.
Many uninformed shoppers, or budget ballers are easily tempted by what looks like a good deal on the rack, but most of the items on these displays are barely worth the clearance close out pricing offered. However, it is normally safe to buy some of the more common items all players need from these types of stores. Items like CO2 tanks, O-Rings, cheap lubricants, and inexpensive gravity hoppers are all worth picking up if you don’t want to wait for shipping since the quality varies so little from what you would find at a specialty store. Some stores even carry decent start up markers like the Tippmann 98 Custom, select Spyder markers, and they may even carry passable recreational grade paint as well. These can be worth buying as long as they aren’t marked up above the average online price.
Always be careful about buying paint from these retailers, and make sure you ask to open and inspect the box for broken or dimpled paintballs before checking out. Spending $40+ on low grade paint only to have every ball break or curve like crazy is the equivalent of lighting your money on fire and throwing it on the ground before walking on the field. Another drawback to buying from these stores is that the staff typically has no idea how the items they are selling actually perform. Since the products are often lumped in with hunting and shooting supplies, the clerks most likely only have cursory knowledge of paintball gear since they are far less popular than the other enthusiast stock they sell. The lesson to learn here is that just because something is cheap or convenient doesn’t mean that it will help you in the long run. Take the time to do some research before picking anything up from a department store, and make sure you verify that the pricing they offer lines up with what specialty retailers charge for the same or similar items.
Buying directly from specialty stores online or through mega-retailers like Amazon.com can be less daunting due to the fact that there is normally quite a bit more information available on these sites from the retailers and other shoppers alike. However, variety is the real enemy here, and it can be easy to get lost in the dozens of pages of items each vendor is selling. Luckily, most of these vendors have options to filter your search results to find items within your price range and required feature limitations. Most undesirable items can be weeded out of your search results this way, and if you are in doubt about a product you can likely find more comprehensive information about the product you like on enthusiast websites or on blogs like this one!
The biggest and most obvious drawback to buying online is that it is impossible to physically try or handle the product that you are shopping for which is particularly important when buying clothing or apparel. Online photos can be misleading, and they can often misrepresent the actual physical look or fit of an item. It is particularly difficult to find sizing references for apparel items like jerseys or paintball pants online which often just list sizes (Large, X-Large, etc.) and finding actual measurements can take a little bit of digging. Make sure you always review a vendor’s return policy details for information about return shipping fees or restocking penalties before buying. Also, make a habit of doing too much research about a product before you buy it to see if there are any hidden issues that other consumers have found.
A product may look perfect once you open the box, but then it may not work or fit as desired once you get it. Take some consumer reviews with a grain of salt, and make sure to read other reviews from a source if possible. If they sound like a person who just likes to complain or misinform about everything they buy then don’t even pay attention to their input. Retail sites are not immune to trolling comments any more than blogs or social media and community websites are.
Last but not least is purchasing used equipment online from other enthusiasts. Buying someone’s used paintball gear is like buying any other used items from another person. Every purchase is a gamble, and there is very little protection for the buyer if something goes wrong unless you personally know the seller. There are many ways to get used items, and there doesn’t seem to be one option that is safer than any other. Ebay is perhaps the most secure since PayPal has some safeguards in place to protect buyers, but if a seller is smart they most likely have disclosed enough “as is” language for items which can be difficult to combat if you buy a lemon.
There really isn’t a fool proof method for buying used gear, but a smart shopper should be able to use common sense to judge if a price is not right for a used item. Ask a lot of questions about the thing you are considering, and do your research about value depreciation. Some reputable websites will sell used gear that customers send in for trade, and they can be a fairly good reference point for what a previously owned item is worth at retail value. Use this information to haggle when possible. Finally, if you are answering a Craigslist ad, always ask to carefully inspect the items you are buying before paying for anything. To be honest, Craigslist creeps me out like nobody’s business, so I never look on there anyway. I’ve heard too many horror stories.
The best way to get used gear is by trading or purchasing items from other players at the field if they are looking to sell. There is still no guarantee that you won’t get fleeced somehow, but at least you have the ability to try what you buy at the field before shelling out any cash. I haven’t personally come across anyone selling items at the field I play at so far, but it does happen.
I hope this will be a helpful guide to some of you, but we are always bound to slip up and make a mistake from time to time. If we didn’t, then there wouldn’t really be any reason for a post like this in the first place. My best advice is just to do a ton of research when possible. It might seem like you are over thinking your purchases, but good gear goes a long way in this sport. Bad gear will put you on the sidelines in a hurry. To those parents buying paintball gear for their kids but don’t necessarily have any knowledge about the sport themselves, always ask why they want the things they are asking for. If you can’t weed out a reasonable need, then shop for a comparable alternative every time.
That’s all for now.
See you on the field!
