• Choose a Skateboard Deck

• Select Skateboard Wheels & Trucks

• Stay Safe While You Skateboard

• Find Skateboarding Gear on eBay

• Buy Skateboards With Confidence

Choose a Skateboard Deck

Choose a Skateboard Deck

The skateboard deck determines how well you'll be able to perform tricks and ride your skateboard. Before making a purchase, consider the skateboard deck’s materials, length, width, nose, tail, and overall shape.

Select your skateboard deck material

Wood skateboard decks have the best response and wood is the most common deck material. Plastic skateboard decks offer great durability but don’t respond as well as wood decks. You'll also find skateboard decks made of aluminum and fiberglass.

Get a good skateboard ride

For traditional and street skating, opt for skateboards less than 33 inches in length. For other uses, such as cruising, choose a skateboard that measures 35 inches. Shorter skateboard riders should choose shorter skateboards for better control.

Perfect your skateboarding tricks

The width of most skateboards is between 7.5 inches to 8.25 inches. Wider decks (more than 8 inches) provide better stability, balance, and control for transitions skating, which involves riding ramps like half pipes, pools, and bowls.

More narrow skateboard decks (less than 8 inches) offer better maneuverability for skateboard tricks and flips. You'll want a narrow skateboard deck for street and technical skateboarding that involves flips, tricks, grinds, rails, gaps, and ledges.

If you’re interested in a mix of street and transition skateboarding, choose an 8-inch deck. It will give you plenty of control without sacrificing maneuverability.

Look at skateboard shape

Most skateboard decks have a raised nose, tail, and sides, making them concave. The more concave your skateboard deck, the more aggressive you can be with your tricks.

Select Skateboard Wheels & Trucks

Select Skateboard Wheels & Trucks

Various skateboard wheels and skateboard trucks are available for all types of riding on all kinds of terrain.

Get skateboard wheels that last

When you pick a set of skateboard wheels, consider size and hardness. Most wheels are one durometer, but you can also buy "dual durometer" wheels, which consist of a harder center, or core, surrounded by a softer outer-riding surface area.

• 87A skateboard wheels: A good choice for longboards, cruising, and hill riding. Great for very rough surfaces.

• 95A skateboard wheels: Ideal for riding down the street or tackling rough spots.

• 97A skateboard wheels: Best for all-around performance on smooth surfaces, such as skate parks, ramps and pools.

• 100A skateboard wheels: Used by the pros, this wheel is very hard, with little traction.

Now that you know what type of wheels you want, determine what size you need. Skateboard wheels are measured in millimeters. Larger wheels make your skateboard weigh more.

• 52mm to 55mm skateboard wheels: Choose 52mm to 55mm skateboard wheels if you plan to skate streets, skate parks, and bowls, or if you’re a smaller rider.

• 56mm to 60mm skateboard wheels: Choose 56mm to 60mm skateboard wheels if you plan to skate streets, skate parks, bowls, and vertical ramps, or if you’re a bigger rider.

• 60mm or larger skateboard wheels: Choose 60mm or larger skateboard wheels for specialty rides, including longboards, or for riding on hills and dirt roads.

Select the right skateboard trucks

Skateboard trucks, or axles, hold the wheels onto the skateboard deck and enable you to turn. Most skateboard trucks range between 4.75 inches and 5.5 inches, and weigh between 10 ounces and 13 ounces.

When buying skateboard trucks, remember that the wider the truck, the more stable the ride. However, the wider the truck, the heavier it will be. Some vendors have found ways of lightening the truck while maintaining stability by using titanium and other lightweight metal alloys.

For lighter skateboard trucks, choose Grind King skateboard trucks or Thunder skateboard trucks. If you want wider, more stable trucks, choose Independent skateboard trucks or Destroyer skateboard trucks.

Stay Safe While You Skateboard

Stay Safe While You Skateboard

Most skate parks and competitions require you to wear safety gear.

• Skateboarding padding: Buy gloves, wrist guards, elbow pads, and kneepads appropriate for your age. You'll want to make sure everything fits comfortably and snugly.

• Helmets for skateboarding: Like your protective padding, your skateboarding helmet should fit snugly. The chinstrap should fit comfortably around your jaw and will help keep the helmet from twisting around on your head. Your helmet should extend over your forehead, your ears, and the back of your skull.

• Skateboarding footwear: Footwear is also an important aspect of riding safely. Choose skate shoes that let you maneuver quickly and easily. Popular choices include Vans skate shoes, Vision skate shoes, Adio skate shoes, Circa skate shoes, DC skate shoes, and Etnies skate shoes.

Find Skateboarding Gear on eBay

Find Skateboarding Gear on eBay

Once you know what type of skateboarding gear you want, go to the Sporting Goods portal, click Skateboarding, and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Complete Skateboards, Decks, Wheels, Bearings, and more.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find skate shoes, type “skate shoes” (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, shop eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Skateboards With Confidence

Buy Skateboards With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.