How to check a skydiving gear seller

Most jumpers are honest. These checks take a few minutes, and they work anywhere you buy gear: online groups, forums, classifieds, at the dropzone, or here.

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1. Check the person

• Talk live. A short video call or phone call tells you more than a week of texting.
• Check the name. The name they give you should match their ID, their payment account, and anything they show you.
• Ask around. Ask your dropzone, your rigger, or friends if they know the seller. The skydiving world is small.
• Meet at a dropzone when you can. Other jumpers and staff are around, and you can bring a rigger.
• Look at their history: how long the account has been around, past sales, and what other jumpers say about them.

2. Check USPA membership, if it matters to you

• What USPA offers: USPA's credential check is only for USPA Group Member dropzones, examiners, and Safety and Training Advisors (S&TAs), not for individual members. USPA does not give out member details.
• What you can do: ask the seller to show you their current membership card from their USPA profile, live, on a video call or in person. Check that the name matches and the card has not expired. A screenshot or a PDF is easy to edit, so live is better.
• At a dropzone, ask the staff or an S&TA. They have access to USPA's check and may be willing to help.
• Do not keep copies of anyone's card or membership number. Seeing it is enough.
• Remember what it proves: membership shows someone is part of the sport. It does not prove they own the gear or that the gear is safe.

3. Check a rigger's certificate

• The FAA's Airmen Inquiry is public and free. Search by last name, and add the first name to narrow it down.
• Open the match and look for a Parachute Rigger certificate with a Senior or Master rating.
• No match when you add a city or state? Search again without them. People who keep their address private do not show up in a location search.
• The same form can search by a rigger's seal symbol, like the one on a reserve's data card.

4. Check the gear

• Get the serial numbers and dates of manufacture for every part, and match them to the photos, the reserve data card, and the AAD.
• Check the serial numbers against USPA's stolen gear reports.
• Ask for a proof photo: the gear next to a note with today's date and the seller's name. Copied photos are the most common trick.
• Have a certified parachute rigger inspect it before you jump it. Always.

5. Pay safely

• Best: pay when you see the gear in person, with your rigger if you can.
• Shipped gear: use rigger escrow. The seller ships to a rigger you choose, who checks it and holds it until you are both happy. A seller who refuses is a red flag.
• Avoid payments you cannot reverse: gift cards, wire transfers, crypto, and “friends and family” payments.
• Keep a record of the listing, your messages, and every payment.

Red flags

• They will not video call, meet, or let a rigger see the gear
• They only send an old screenshot of a USPA card, or get annoyed when you ask
• The price is far below similar gear, or the story keeps changing
• They push you to pay right now, or to move to another app
• The photos look copied, or show no labels or serial numbers

Related guides

Scam warning signsBuying safelyRig inspection

Blue skies, and check twice.

This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. Always have used gear inspected by a certified parachute rigger before you use it. Skydive Buy & Sell is an independent site and is not affiliated with USPA, the FAA, any manufacturer, or any skydiving organization.