When buying professional video equipment sight unseen, the buyer has to do a little research...first to find what they need, and then to find whether that item is available.  Shopping for used gear shouldnt scare you... It should save you a lot of money, while improving the quality of your work.

There are many bargains to be had for everyone from the weekend videographer, to the fulltime pro.  Just because technology advances so quickly doesnt mean that the somewhat older gear isnt just as good as some of the newer stuff... after all, many bells and whistles are unused anyway.

For 3 ccd Video Cameras, ensure that camera comes with as much original accesories and paperwork as possible.  Ask for SN to discern age.  Ensure that seller will warrent the camera to your door as operable.  Shipping companies can play rough with boxes, and most digital gear doesnt like to be dropped repeatedly.  Ensure you spend some money to protect your investment, both during purchase as well as after.  One of the FIRST things you should buy is a filter to protect the lens.  Filters are cheap, lenses are not.

Tripods should be fluid head, with a proper weight rating.  Certain brand names cost alot and sometimes, you get what you pay for.  Ensure that you get a tripod with a mounting plate, as well as one that can do the job.  There are LOTS of really cheap tripods out there.  Avoid them if possible.  You dont want to put a 3000 dollar camera on a 30 dollar tripod.

Audio mixers are changing daily as well.  Ensure seller shows a clear picture of mixer, including slides.  Nonsmoking histories are better because cigarette smoke CAN and DOES cause rheostats to fail and get machinery gunked up.  Digital assisted is usually better, and anything over 4 channel is usually adequate for the small home user.  Be sure you know whether power cords and other accessories are attached to sale.  Ditto for original packaging.  Original boxes ALWAYS perform better for storage and shipping.  Two of the most popular are Mackie and Behringer.  Kinda like ford and chevy.  Both do a great job in 99 percent of applications.  It is that other 1 percent that seperates them.  Do your research.

Lighting is a good buy here as well.  Halogen and color corrected tungsten are the norm, and flourescent is making a good gain.  Ensure that you note the cost of replacement bulbs when purchasing, as some kits are very specific in what they can accept.  Also be sure that the power systems are set up for your locale... US power is different than Euro power.

Audio Cords and accesories are one of the better buys possible.  A good videographer will have probably 30 or more XLR cords around the studio.  While XLR are a tough bunch to hurt, they can and do get broken wires, and them become long plastic rope.  Ensure you trust seller or read listing VERY carefully.  It is my experience that 99 percent of sellers are very specific in their listings, and the buyer doesnt always pay attention.  If seller doesnt specifically say it works, it may not work when you get it.

The price of Video Editing Gear continues to drop.  From standalone systems to computer based, most have one thing in common... and that is they are designed with one purpose in mind, to input, arrange, edit, and output video and audio.  The differences come in how stable they are, how effective and easy to operate, and how many things can be done by them.  Be very cautious when buying a used video card.  Ensure that seller offers a safe delivery clause with enough time to ensure you didnt receive a dud.  However, dont expect all that if you got a thousand dollar editing card for 19.95!  Caveat Emptor.  If it doesnt have a firewire input, it is OLD technology.  If it cant edit in realtime, with very little rendering, it is OLD technology.

Digital tapes as well as Beta and other formats can be a good bargain.  One pass tapes are pretty useful to most people who are archiving video, etc.  Just be sure they pass a QC test... and whatever you do.... USE ONLY ONE BRAND OF TAPE IN YOUR CAMERA, YOUR VIDEO PLAYERS, ETC.  Different manufacturers use different methods of lubricaiton, and this does make a difference!!!

Batteries will always be a good thing to have.  Pay attention to listing.  Some older batteries will not hold a charge worth a darn.  Some of the newer batteries can last a couple of days.  And you can never have enough batteries.

VHS is going to be around a long time.  Sure, 90 percent of households have switched to DVD.  However, a quality dubbing machine with meters is a good investment.  Be warned, these are heavy beasts, as they are designed to run all the time, without failure. 

There are lots of little treasures to find out there.  Some are junk, and some are very useful.  If you have more than two inputs into a system, a switcher is worth its weight in gold.  Ensure it works, and ensure it can either genlock the inputs, or if you are not live switching, then dont worry about it.  Small monitors are a good investment.  Heck, I still use a few Black and White monitors on a daily basis.  They are great for ensuring video levels are correct.  Some are quite heavy, and some require special inputs.  Be sure you have a clear look at the back of the monitor to ensure it works.

Same goes for video mixers.  They can be a great thing to have for live events or studio work.  They allow you to do a lot.  However, just like audio mixers, they can have small failures along the way from smoking histories, rough use, etc.... Ensure all functions work as advertised, and that you get a MANUAL.  These things can be quite complicated, and unless you are familiar with them, they can be a beast to set up, and you will never be able to find that special effect without a manual.

Finally, by all means bid if you really want something.  But use good sense.  Take a few minutes and do some research outside of eBay.  Go to manufacturers sites, input a model number in a internet search engine and see what comes up.  The goal is to be as informed as possible before your purchase.

And if you do all that, you will know what something is worth, and how effective it can be for you.  Just because something is older doesnt mean that it is not just as good, or even better than some of the newer stuff today.  Professional video gear is designed to be tough, and long lasting.  It is therefore, usually very expensive.  Any time you can save money, and do a better job... THAT is a good thing.