It all starts with one..
You see that reissue at your local skate shop, it’s the Cab deck you always wanted as a kid – and you deserve it. Maybe you stumble across a collab deck where they’ve meshed two of your favourite things, aka skateboarding X (what ever you like).. That garage sale where you picked up an old Kendall deck for $5.
How ever it starts, it’s hard to stop once you have. Not that you’d want to, only the coolest ride and collect skateboards. It can turn you from a mere mortal into a true legend of your time – or so they say *cough*
But like any addiction, there are numerous support groups and websites available where you can seek help. Not to quit however, that’s just self defeating. How are you going to collect every colourway of your favourite deck with an attitude like that? The groups will however help you amass more of the decks and gear you need in your life.
Social Media
Once upon a time there were forums, but they are going the way of the Dodo. Nowadays skateboard collectors have moved onto social media platforms such as Facebook. Taking full advantage of private groups, where you can buy, sell, trade and waffle your way to a skateboard collection that gets you emotionally erect.
There are a few of these groups around in Australia, and plenty more that are worldwide. This isn’t a be all and end all of groups, this is just a few to get you started. You can narrow down to groups specific to say Santa Cruz Reissues if that’s your thing, the choices are many and varied. Even the generic buy and sell skateboard groups sometimes have the good stuff.
Aussie Skateboard Collecting
A private Facebook group with over 8,000 members. The private part just means the posts aren’t publicly available and you’ll need to get admin approval to join. Covers pretty much anything to do with skateboards.
Aussie OG Collectors
A group for buying, selling, trading and sharing pre-2000 skateboards and gear. Not a place for reissue posts or photos. Over 1.6K members.
Ol Man Skateboard Riders buy, sell, swap
An extension of the Ol Man Skateboard Riders group we mentioned in Getting back into Skateboarding. As the group doesn’t allow for sales, raffles etc, the new group was started for posts of that kind. Has just over 1,000 members.
Skateboard Collectors – International
Aside from the US shipping costs, or getting someone to ship to Oz, this is one serious group. It has over 40K members. You’ll see skateboards in here you don’t come across in the Australian groups.
Websites
Every now and again you’ll want to check, or check out, skateboards. There’s plenty of scammers these days selling fakes and artist impressions of well known decks. Some are just outright fakes that use a logo and pro skater name to flog a deck that’s never existed. Before you buy, you’ll want to source some credible information. There’s a few places you can do just that.
The Art of Skateboarding
Established in 2002, this is a great site if you’re looking for information on vintage skateboards. They cover some 26,000 skateboards and graphics and their variations. Find out when boards were originally released and more information about them including sold prices.
The site however is based around the art. Which means each deck with fresh artwork gets a listing. But once it’s been released once, that’s it, no more listings. Which works out great unless you are looking for details on a reissue or a specific colourway. Still, it’s a great reference point.
Sk8 Collector
This website covers every colourway, every reissue, and provides a lot of detail on the skateboards themselves. Has only been around since November 2021 though, so still has limited coverage and a fair way to go. I’m quite partial to it myself, seeing as I’m the one building it!
Where to Buy New Release Skateboards to collect?
Support your local skate shop!
With that being said, not every local stocks all brands. Some brands don’t even have distributors in Australia. And not all decks make it to the shelves or online for that matter. Try and snag a Natas Blind Bag online upon release.. There were a lot looking for them and not many around.
If you’re really keen on a deck and you think it will sell out quickly. Pre-order it. From your local skate shop if you can. Make friends, have a chat, they may just look after you. Who wouldn’t want a skateboard collector with an addictive personality as a regular? You may be able to help fund their kids first car.
If you skipped pre-ordering, check with your local and as many online stores as you can. Prices do vary, shipping costs also. If the deck is listed on Skateboarder you can compare them side by side without even leaving the page. You may also want to check for vouchers to save yourself a few more $.
As an added note, some of the skate shops also have eBay stores. eBay loves to hand out discounts and vouchers to entice you to buy. I was offered a $100 saving on a 9.13″ Anderson Heron deck by eBay the other day. Could not believe it. Both that someone still had one in stock and the size of the discount voucher.
If you’re looking for a specific recommendation, sorry but it’s not happening. I’ve bought from many skate shops around the country over the years, and all my experiences have been pretty good to date. It often comes down to who has stock at the time, and I can be swayed by a good deal as well.
Buying Skateboards and Gear Overseas
Sometimes you’ve got to buy overseas. Especially if you are wanting an extremely limited edition deck. The biggest hurdle with this is the shipping costs. It can cost a small fortune to have decks shipped here from the States. But shop around, each one has different shipping options. Add what you want to the cart, fill in the details, and get a shipping quote. Then move onto the next one and do the same. You’ll learn pretty quickly where all the better places to buy. Trolling collector groups can help as well as there’s often discussions on overseas shipping.
Avoid the Flippers
In terms of collecting skateboards, a Flipper is someone that buys decks and other gear at retail and then sells it with a huge mark-up. They have no intention of riding, displaying or keeping the deck.
Flippers get away with this thanks to supply and demand. A lot of reissue decks for example are limited edition. Shops sell out, yet skaters are still wanting them. But this is where it gets weird.
Flippers often try to sell at huge prices, even before all the retailers have run out of stock.
Flippers just buy and then list for sale, hoping someone is desperate enough to fork out out the cash.
A few examples..
Steve Caballero has his own online skate shop. In the shop Cab offered different colourways of the Powell Peralta Ripper decks for $59.99 USD. He personally signed these decks. As I was browsing Facebook marketplace the other day, I came across these decks. All 4 colourways for $350 AUD each, or he may do a deal if you buy all 4. What a bargain – Not! lol. What I found funniest was that you can still buy a signed olive ripper deck through Cab’s shop as of writing.
The late 2021 release of the Santa Cruz Claus Grabke exploding clock skateboard deck. It was probably one of the slowest moving reissues in recent times. Facebook Marketplace and eBay had them listed at $250 to $300 within days of release. This in spite of the fact many retailers still had stock, and Concrete Lines had more than 10 left weeks later.
If you want to avoid supporting Flippers, here’s a few tips:
- Buy early or pre-order. There’s no substitute for buying at retail prices if you really want to avoid the huge mark-ups – “You’re welcome – Captain Obvious”
- Search, search, and then search some more. You’d be surprised at how many places may still have stock. Not all skate shops are near the top of Google’s search rankings, and if you modify your terms you can sometimes drag a few out of the woodwork that have stock. Try including “in stock” as part of your search (although some skate shops write the term in stock in their description, even though they may not have stock – not helpful).
- Take your search offshore. I grabbed a deck I wanted from a Greek skate shop once. Sure it cost me $30 more than Oz retail including shipping, but it cost me $130 less than buying from a flipper. And as a bonus I got some cool Greek slaps.
- Join the Collector’s groups and ask. Skateboard Collector’s buy, sell and trade all the time. Simply post up asking if anyone has xyz at a reasonable price, and to DM you. You won’t be paying retail, but you may get it at a much better price point. And if you’re lucky they’ll throw in some bonus slaps. You may even make a few friends along the way.
Buy skate decks from the collector Groups
This is where the good stuff happens. Vintage NOS decks you won’t find at your local. Reissues only a few years old going at hard to beat prices. That POS Variflex board you had as a kid that you couldn’t wait to dump, but now you want for some reason. Decks, wheels, completes, stickers and more are all sold, bought, traded, and waffled every day. See something you like at a price you’re willing to pay, be the first to post SOLD, and it’s yours – so long as you pay lol. Chances are you’ll be paying for this through Paypal F&F, and best of all you’ll be helping fund another collectors addiction.
Classifieds and Auctions
Be wary, very wary. Not all is always as it seems. Some of the classifieds have plenty of ads with overpriced gear and fakes. If you’re going to buy this way, look for someone with positive reviews or reputation.
Keep on Searchin’
Just remember, if you’re riding and collecting skateboards, you are one seriously cool human being. More people should be like you. Good luck in your search!
