Found a great deal on a used squat rack at a garage sale in Tulsa, but when I got it home half the bolts were rusted solid. Took me soaking them in penetrating oil and using a breaker bar to finally get them loose - has anyone else dealt with seized hardware on secondhand gear?
This guy on Rigidtalk told me to just trust the trade even though the box looked sketchy, and I ended up with a $300 squat rack and a rusty but functional rowing machine. Did anyone else ever take a gamble on a blind trade and come out ahead?
Back in 2019, I found a used rack from a seller in Phoenix for $150. He said it was disassembled and ready to go, so I drove my old pickup 45 minutes to grab it. Got there and it was a pile of bolts and mismatched pipes he swore was a 'custom build' from his cousin. I spent three hours sorting through the junk before realizing I got played. Has anyone else rolled the dice on a gear deal that ended up being a headache instead of a steal?
Last month I posted a pic of my homemade bench setup with a 45 lb plate balanced on the jack handle to hold the bar steady. Some dude named Mike from Ohio commented saying I was gonna lose a toe. I blew it off at first, but then I dropped a plate on my foot two days later. Swapped to those $15 safety stopper blocks from Amazon and now I feel dumb for not doing it sooner. Anybody else ignore good advice for way too long before a little accident made you listen?
I bought a set of $1.50 per pound rubber bumper plates off Amazon last January. Figured they'd crack or smell like a tire fire. Six months of drop after drop and they're still square. Zero wobble on the bar. The coating finally convinced me when I left them out in the rain by accident in Texas summer heat. Anybody else luck out with bargain gear that surprised you?
Picked up a leg press from some guy in Denver last month. He said it was barely used, showed me pics, looked clean. Got it home and the cables were frayed inside the housing, plus two of the weight pegs were stripped. I spent $60 on replacement parts and it's still not smooth. The seller ghosted me when I messaged him about it. So is buying used gym gear from random people worth the gamble, or should we just stick to Rigidtalk's trusted traders where there's at least some accountability? Anyone else get burned on a Marketplace deal?
I've been trading used equipment on here for a couple years now, mostly plates and bars. Always figured I'd top out around 400 and that was fine. Last month I pulled 505 at my buddy's garage gym and suddenly realized my old 300-pound plate set wasn't cutting it anymore. Now I'm hunting for a second set of 45s and a better bar, which I never thought I'd need. Anyone else hit a number that forced them to rethink what gear they actually need?
I swapped my set of PowerBlocks for a pair of 24kg kettlebells on Facebook Marketplace last month and my shoulder pain from benching finally disappeared, has anyone else found a weird swap that actually solved a problem?