I just bought another Onewheel and I wanted to share this experience with you guys. If you have read my past articles or seen my YouTube Channel, you may know that I am a big believer in purchasing used Onewheels for the following reasons:
- With the right strategy and patience, you can often find lightly used Onewheels on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace
- You can save a lot of money
- You can often buy used Onewheels still under warranty and the warranty can transfer
If you are interested in saving money and do not mind purchasing a used Onewheel, here are my 7 tips for success.
1. Have a Plan
Know what you are looking for whether it be a V1, Plus, or XR. If you do not know the major differences between the Onewheel models then do your research. Once you know what you are looking for, set your expectations accordingly in terms of how much you expect to pay and how many such used Onewheels you plan on seeing on the used market.
2. Be Flexible
If a great deal on a lightly used Plus comes up, don’t pass it up because you have your heart set on getting an XR. You can consider range extending modifications for the Plus that could give you XR range or more.
3. Set Alerts for Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist
This is highly dependent on where you live but if you want to cast a wider net and are willing to travel a bit to check out a used board, set alerts for used Onewheels in nearby large cities as well as your own. Then when a used board shows up on one of these sites, you will be one of the first to know.
4. Be Patient
Buying a used Onewheel is not something you should do if you lack patience. It took me several months of waiting before I found what I was looking for. I know my patience paid off with all three of my used Onewheels, all of which had low mileage and were in great shape. I was able to get each Onewheel with either a big discount or with a lot of accessories thrown in for free.
5. Contact Sellers of Lightly Used Boards Right Away
A good deal on a lightly used Onewheel will not last. Do not let a good opportunity pass if you are ready to buy. Contact sellers right away! I know a good deal will not last because of all my articles on my website the article I wrote on How to Buy a Used Onewheel is by far the most popular. There are a lot of people out there looking for used Onewheels!
6. Be Prepared
Use this checklist to prepare for your inspection and to systematically go over the Onewheel. This checklist will help you know what to look for in a used Onewheel, especially if this is your first Onewheel.
7. Use Common Sense
Be smart and be safe. Pick a safe public meeting spot where you can potentially test ride the board and bring a friend if you can. If something seems too good to be true or if something just does not seem right then trust your senses. Look out for common red flags warning you that a Onewheel may be stolen:
-Onewheel is way underpriced
-Seller seems to have no real knowledge or understanding of the Onewheel
-There is no charger
-There is no box or receipt
In my very first article on this blog, “How to Buy a Used Onewheel” I wrote about the two types of sellers to look out for when looking for a great deal on a Onewheel.
Because the product is so new and there are so few places to see and try a Onewheel prior to buying, people often purchase their Onewheels without ever having physically seen or tried one in person. Instead, most purchase their Onewheel after having watched many YouTube videos and after having read many online reviews.
There are two main groups of people who I have seen selling their boards at a deep discount.
- There are the people that never get the hang of the Onewheel and never really use it.
- There are folks that purchase the Onewheel thinking that they will be able to jump on the board and ride like a pro right out of the box and those who get overconfident early on and end up hurting themselves.
Why do some people quit the Onewheel without really having given the Onewheel a good try?
What these people do not understand is that for some the Onewheel may have a fairly steep learning curve that takes work and practice in order to improve and feel comfortable on the board.
Because some new owners become disappointed by the initial lack of progress, these beginners may choose to throw in the towel and give up and sell the Onewheel. Their lack of effort is your opportunity to save money.
Then there is the second group of beginners who sell their board for cheap. They are the beginners that feel comfortable on the board early on but their overconfidence leads to trouble.
An overconfident beginner will often try to push their limited Onewheel skills and go way too fast without really understanding the intricacies of the board. They look to set speed records so they can brag to their friends on social media. This results in nosedives and falls which leads to broken body parts and Onewheel dreams. It often happens during the first week of ownership so keep a lookout for these motivated sellers.
These two groups of Onewheel sellers: the “It’s not for me” group and the “I was overconfident and got hurt” group, are where you will find the deals.
While the fate of the disappointed Onewheel owner with their shattered dreams and fractured wrists can be a sad one, it provides a small marketplace of used Onewheels in very good condition and with low mileage. One person’s sorrow can be your success.
If your conscience is tearing at you for taking advantage of someone’s misfortune, think of it this way: If no one buys their Onewheel then there will be no way for these sellers to recoup the money from a product that they will probably never use again. So in essence, buying a used Onewheel can be a win for all.
In this case, I purchased a used Onewheel from a third group of sellers: someone who recently upgraded to an XR and now no longer needs their old Onewheel Plus or needs to regain some of the money selling the Plus to pay for the XR.
The person I purchased this most recent used Onewheel from had been riding for years, starting with the original V1 model. He is an experienced Onewheel rider who eventually purchased the Onewheel Plus but his timing was bad as shortly after purchasing his Onewheel Plus, Future Motion announced and released the Onewheel XR.
He eventually got an XR so that he could keep up with all his other riding buddies and the Plus was only used occasionally for short rides. When he posted his Onewheel Plus on Craigslist with only 65 miles on it for $900, I jumped on the opportunity.
I cracked open the piggy bank, collected all my birthday money, checked under all the sofa cushions, emptied the change from the car ashtray, and asked my wife to spot me some cash. Then I was off to meet the seller.
Shawn was kind enough to let me test ride the Onewheel around the neighborhood. He declined to be on camera because he had recently had oral surgery and still had some facial swelling. Shawn has his own paddleboard company and is a Onewheel distributor.
If you are serious about buying a new Onewheel and would like a demo, check out Shawn and his company at Rocky Mountain Paddleboard. They focus on paddleboard rentals and lessons in the Boulder, Longmont, and Denver area.
Shawn made it clear that this Onewheel was his personal board. I went through my “Buying a used Onewheel check list” and found the board to be in great shape except for some grip tape issues. The Onewheel even came with some custom Bodhi Harrison Pro Model Custom Float Plates.
Bodhi is part of The Float Life Team and he used to work for Shawn with his business. Before Bodhi left the paddleboard business to pursue a life of Onewheel, he gave these float plates to Shawn.
Once I was satisfied with the condition of the board I paid Shawn and then took the Onewheel to a nearby park for an extended ride.
I shared this purchase experience on my Instagram. If you are on Instagram follow me @oneRADwheel. I immediately got comments on Instagram post such as #addicted, #hoarder and comments like “You are addicted.” The comments are correct. I have a growing used Onewheel collection.
So why purchase another Onewheel? As I’ve shared in prior videos, the Onewheel is fun to ride, but the fun exponentially grows when you ride with others. Check out my group ride video here:
Also, if I can get a lightly used Onewheel for a decent price I hope to do some range extending modifications so that it can keep up with my Onewheel XR.
I have already done the Two-X range extension modification on my other Onewheel Plus and my range went from 5-6 miles to 16 miles on my most recent long distance ride. You can watch the Two-X install video here:
There are other range extending options out there and I hope to try them out on my newest Onewheel Plus. If you have a Onewheel Plus or V1 and are looking for options to make your Onewheel Plus relevant again with a range extending modification, stay tuned as I look into this very subject.
Have you ever looked into extending range on your old V1 or Onewheel Plus? What have you tried? Which particular product would you be interested in learning more about? Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to address your comments and questions in future videos.
If you have not already, like and subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Jimmy Chang. It helps keep the channel and the blog keep growing, just like my collection of Onewheels! 😉