Introduction
One of the trendiest sports of 2010 was longboarding. Nowadays you see more and more people cruising a longboard in the big cities. This is mainly because the longboard is an excellent method of transportation. The longboard is also very popular with elder people, who love the longboard for its relatively easy learning curve. However longboarding can be quite expensive. The sport is more costly than skateboarding, for example, because of three reasons. First reason is that there is a lack of specialized longboard stores, while there is a huge demand. Second, longboards are often made of more expensive material. And finally some part of the price is just pure promotion and marketing. The purpose of this article therefore is to point out some cheaper sources of longboards.
Extreme Sports Trader
Extreme Sports Trader is a sort of Craig’s List but then for longboarding. You can find quality second hand longboards here. You can also compare prices of new longboards and find out which shop sells your desired board the cheapest. Another thing that has to be noted is that 10% of the price you pay in this site will go to charity, a very noble initiative. The only disadvantage of Extreme Sports Trader is that it is intended for the United Kingdom only.
EBay
Good old EBay is one of the best sources for your first longboard. The rating system makes it more reliably than other online auctions. You are also protected as a buyer by EBay’s rules. The German, British and Spanish versions of EBay have the largest amount of quality longboards.
Skateboard Express
Originally a skateboard shop, but this Australian outlet also sells longboards. This is the best source if you want to buy a brand new longboard. The reasons why they are so cheap is mainly because they directly ship from the factory to your home. You do not have to pay for shelf space, marketing or other non-board related things. You have to pay higher sending fees if you live in Europe or America, but this is worth it.
Forums
Another recommended option is specialized longboard forums. Often people are selling their longboard here. These longboards are really cheap, but it is better if you are more experienced when you buy here. Sometimes newbies are ripped off on these forums. So his option is more for the experienced longboarder who knows what he or she is buying. The lack of a rating system like EBay makes it a bit unreliable. Therefore we recommend to only buy from authoritative people like admins or moderators on the particular forum. However forums remain a great source for cheap longboards.
Conclusion
EBay is the most recommended for beginners, while forums might be a good option for the experienced longboarder. If you want to buy a new longboard, then go for the skateboard express. Extreme Sports Traders is great if you live in the UK. For more information about buying your first longboard, have a look at: longboards for sale.