Climbing gear is expensive. There are no two ways about it. Most of it is very good value when you consider the amount of testing and quality control that goes into making it. Each piece of kit is designed and tested to forces which are far above what we would ever exert on it in a fall. You are paying for the knowledge that no matter what you do to it, your gear won't fail. That said, it is still a lot of money and if you spend your life climbing it is unlikely that many of you are parts.
One way to see the climber is often the purchase of second hand equipment. This is a bit 'a gray area and it is never clear. I hope this article might be a little 'clearer. Some gear is perfectly ok to switch between the climbers. Clothing, bouldering mats, bags of plaster, etc. are all in beautiful, because they cause serious accidents if the show some signs of wear. The terms that you should have seriousBe careful to buy from someone you do not know is, tapes, ropes and climbing hardware.
For cables I would say that it is never a time when it is ok for a second hand from someone who does not know now. There is no way to tell, just by looking at a rope, if he has got the strength to 10 or even 100 is great. Can usually tell if a cable is completely shot, as the nucleus can be broken and the body feels empty. A rope can still look and feel to the place and very closeto being dangerous. If you know the person that you are buying the rope from then it is slightly different. If you trust them and they can tell you the accurate history of a rope then there is nothing wrong with buying it from them.
Harnesses are very similar to ropes in that you shouldn't buy from anyone you don't know. Very small abrasions or lacerations in the webbing can make a harness very dangerous indeed. These lacerations can be very hard to spot but are very easily caused by crampons, gear etc. Climbing hardware is a huge category with many different types. Usually I would say that you can see how much use a karabiner or screw-gate has had by looking at it. If it looks ok then it is likely to be fine. These pieces of gear are manufactured to such high standards that they take a lot of abuse and have a very long life.
When you are buying kit it is very important to remember that you are going to trust this piece of gear with your life. If it fails then you could die. If you bear this in mind when looking at buying second hand gear then you will always be over cautious, this is the best way to be. Never buy a piece of gear if you are even a little unsure of its integrity. It really isn't worth saving that little bit of money of one day it could cost you your life, or someone else's.
