Why Buy Used Skates?  #1 reason:  You'll get more bang for your buck!   With skates, I believe it's actually preferable to buy them used because not only are they cheaper, they're already broken in for you (meaning no blisters!)  Besides, if you decide you don't like them, you can usually get your money back out of them when you go to resell them.  With new skates, you'll be lucky to get half.  But you need to know how to find the best skates & hopefully I can help you do that.  There's so many kinds & brands of skates being sold on eBay (& many of them are just plain junk.)  Once you've decided you want something better than your Carreras or R3s (not too bad, BTW), you might as well look for the best custom skates or build your own!  There are basically 4 parts of the skate that play a role in performance:  the boot, the plate (including axles cushions, etc.), the wheels, & the bearings.  With boots, look for comfort, fit & of course, style & be sure to buy the right size!  Roller skates are always in mens sizing (even the white ones), meaning if you wear a ladies size 9, then you'd probably wear a men's size 8 (always go down 1 size.)  I can't tell you how many times I've bought white skates on eBay that were listed incorrectly as women's size 9, when they were actually a men's size 9 & way too big for me, so be careful!  To be sure, have the seller measure the foot insert for you.  First, my best quad speed boot picks in order by comfort & style are: Obermeyer 351 (if you can find them!  Be aware of people selling knock-offs), Riedell 395 (old skool, Redline & side flap), Riedell 695 or 596 , Riedell 195 Grand Prix , Riedell 911 (great boot, but annoying buckle) & Riedell 295 kanga.  Be careful buying the Riedell 122, RS-1000, 911 Prisms, Vanilla & older Carreras because I swear they never "break in."  Also, the older Riedell 395s & 911s mentioned above are MUCH softer than the newer ones (made after 2007?)  Second, my top picks for speed plates are:  Labeda Proline (they don't make these anymore, so if you find them, snag em up!), Any Roll-Line plate like Variant, Navigator & up (these are made in Italy so, the toe stops are huge & IMO ugly, but american toe stops can be threaded to work), Laser Hardnose.  Other plates to look for are:  Black Diamond, Ultimate I, II, II, IV, Dominator, Galaxy, Boen, Paioli, Snyder Advantage, Powerdyne Reactor, Laser Nycon.  Plate length makes a big difference, too!   Many people buy their plates too long for their boot size.  In fact, even the recommended plate size on roller skating websites is a tad long, in my opinion, but it's personal preference.  Third, are the bearings.  It's important to know that skate bearings basically come in 2 sizes: 8mm (608) & 7mm (627.)  You'll need 2 bearing per wheel or 16.  Carreras & R3's have axles that take 8mm bearings & all the higher end plates mentioned above have axles that take 7mm bearings.   If you're not sure of the size bearings you need, take off the axle nut & measure it.  A 5/16" nut will indicate a 8mm bearing is needed & 9/32" will indicate a 7mm bearing is needed.  Or, if you can stick a pencil through the bearing, it's 8mm.  In my opinion, the best bearings for the buck are Powell / China Bones Reds.  You can usually pick up a 16-pack for around $25.  Who wants to mess around with cleaning bearings?  At that price, just throw em away & buy some new ones!  Of course, you can also go with Fafnirs or ceramic bearings, etc. And, if you want to switch from wheels with 8mm bearings (stuck in them) to a plate with a 7mm axle, you can just buy axle sleeves instead of trying to remove the bearings. Finally, wheels are totally a personal preference & I'll just leave it at that!  All I can say is many of the new wheels have quality issues, so do some research before buying them.  They just don't make wheels like they used to!  If you can, try to find any old skool hubbed wheels from the 80s & 90s like Wicked Lips, Fan Jets, Cannibals, etc.  Just make sure they aren't coned, cracked, or have flat spots.  Look to see if they have their original grooves.  There's so much that goes into a purchase decision & this is just the tip of the iceberg to help you get started in your search for a great quad speed (not art) setup.  Do your research & Good Luck finding the Best Skates!  If you've found this guide helpful in any way, Please Vote!  Thanks!