---
title: Share this blog post on Twitter
description: Buying used pro AV before year end? Plan delivery, check the dock and test every unit inside GearSource's two business day inspection window.
image: https://reverse-proxy.gearsource.com/hubfs/blog-images/post_27_inspect_used_gear_year_end_preview.webp
---
[Used Gear](https://gearsource.com/blog/tag/used-gear) [GearSource](https://gearsource.com/blog/tag/gearsource) [Pro AV](https://gearsource.com/blog/tag/pro-av) [Freight](https://gearsource.com/blog/tag/freight)
# How Should You Inspect Used Gear You've Bought?
[Marcel Fairbairn](https://gearsource.com/blog/author/marcel-fairbairn)
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*By Marcel Fairbairn, founder of GearSource. 25 years buying, selling, and brokering pro-AV gear globally.*
Plan the inspection before you are stuck, not when the truck shows up. On GearSource, the [claims policy](https://gearsource.com/p/claims-policy) requires every seller to give buyers at least two business days after delivery to inspect, and any problem has to reach the Claims and Customer Experience team inside that window. In November and December those two days are easy to lose to a holiday, a thin crew or a pallet stuck at a terminal. Pick the delivery day, line up the tech and know your test plan first.
## Why is year end a risky time to receive used gear?
A lot of buying happens late in the year. Shops spend what is left of this year's budget, fill holes before spring bookings and, for some, try to have gear in service before December 31, a question for your accountant. The catch is that the same weeks are when your techs are busiest, offices close for holidays and carriers are carrying the heaviest loads of the year.
Parcel carriers are open about it. [Supply Chain Dive reported](https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/ups-preps-higher-holiday-surcharges-for-2026/828936/) that UPS expects its U.S. volume to rise about 24 percent from the third quarter to the fourth, with many holiday surcharges peaking between November 22 and December 26. [FedEx's demand surcharge page](https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/rate-changes/demand-surcharges.html) shows its oversize charge rising from $95.75 to $117.25 per package from November 23 to December 27. Most pro AV moves by freight rather than parcel, but the signal is the same: networks are full and delivery dates slip.
Claims get harder too. A [September checklist from FreightClaims.com](https://freightclaims.com/peak-season-freight-claims-checklist/), a company that sells claims software, says carrier scrutiny of freight claims is tightening heading into peak season and suggests filing within 48 hours of finding damage during the rush. It also notes that concealed damage notification windows are typically five business days. A GearSource inspection window is shorter than that, so it is the clock that matters.
## What does the two-day window actually cover?
The policy defines delivery as the buyer of record having received and signed for all the items ordered. It applies no matter whether the buyer or the seller booked the carrier. If you collect the gear yourself from the seller, you take possession at pickup and the period starts there. If a large order or tricky logistics means you need more than two business days, the extra time must be agreed in writing by both GearSource and the seller before shipment.
The money side is built around that window. GearSource says gear is not shipped until the funds due have been received by GearSource Payments, and funds are not released to the seller until there is confirmation the buyer received the delivery. If a shipment does not arrive when expected, report it within ten days of the anticipated delivery date. Purchases handled outside the GearSource marketplace are not protected by the Buyer GEARantee.
One thing the policy does not spell out is how holidays count as business days. This year Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, and both Christmas Day and New Year's Day land on a Friday. If your delivery could arrive right before one of those, ask the team how the window will be counted before the order ships, and get any extension in writing.
## How should you plan the delivery before you pay?
A few decisions made at checkout save most of the stress later:
1. Choose a delivery day when the tech who will test the gear is actually in the building, not the afternoon before a holiday shutdown or a load-out.
2. If the order is a full system or a large lot, ask for extra inspection time in writing before it ships. Sellers have no obligation to grant time afterward.
3. Ask the seller for what you will check against: hours on sources or lamps, software or firmware versions, and exactly which cases, cables and accessories are included.
4. Clear bench space and have power, data, signal sources and spare cables ready, so testing starts the hour the gear lands.
5. Decide who signs for the delivery, and make sure that person knows to count pieces and note any damage on the paperwork before signing.
## What should happen at the dock?
Treat the delivery like the start of a claim you hope never to file. Count every piece against the paperwork. Walk around the pallet or cases and photograph the packaging from all sides before anything is opened. If you see damage, write it on the driver's delivery slip before you sign, keep a copy, and hold on to the packaging and cases it arrived in. That record is what a carrier claim will depend on.
Freight damage is a carrier matter, so a claim goes to the carrier, and the GearSource support team can help with the process. Damage that was not caused by shipping, or gear that does not match the listing, goes to the Claims and Customer Experience team. Either way, the photos from the first ten minutes matter most.
## How do you test used gear inside two business days?
The policy's own instruction is the right one: test the items as if you were prepping for an event. That means every unit, not a sample, and every function a client could ask for. If a lot is too big to get through in two business days, that is the reason to negotiate more time before shipment rather than skipping units after delivery.
- Lighting: run each fixture through full pan, tilt, color, gobo and focus, and note source hours, fan noise and any error messages.
- Audio: check every box with a sweep or program material, listen for damaged drivers and run amplifiers under realistic load.
- Consoles and processors: boot cold, confirm the software version, and work every fader, encoder, screen and I/O card you paid for.
- LED video: light every panel, look for dead pixels, color shifts and failed modules, and check data and power connectors.
- Rigging and staging: inspect motors, chain, brakes and hardware against the listing and any paperwork the seller provided.
Write down serial numbers as you go and film anything that fails. If something is wrong, send a detailed explanation with photos or video to the Claims and Customer Experience team before the window closes. Do not open, modify or reflash a unit until the issue is logged or the seller's tech team asks you to. The policy says modifications, including software changes, can reduce a refund or void it entirely.
## What happens if something fails the inspection?
GearSource is a marketplace and does not own the gear listed on it, so the first step is usually remote troubleshooting between the seller's tech team and yours, arranged by the claims team. If the item does not work as advertised or does not match the listing, the policy says the seller must replace it, repair it at their expense if you agree, or refund you. If the two sides cannot agree, the GearSource Conflict Resolution team mediates.
If you are buying before year end, start early and [browse current listings on GearSource](https://gearsource.com/search), then build your delivery and test plan before you check out.
## Frequently asked questions
### How long do I have to inspect used gear bought on GearSource?
GearSource requires every seller to give buyers at least two business days after delivery to inspect their items. Delivery means the buyer of record has received and signed for everything ordered. Report any issue, with a clear description and photos or video, to the Claims and Customer Experience team before that window closes.
### Does the inspection window start when I pick up the gear myself?
Yes. If you collect the gear from the seller's location and sign for it, you take possession at pickup and the inspection period starts then, unless GearSource and the seller agreed to something different before shipment. Plan to test soon after pickup, or arrange extra time in writing before the order is released.
### What if my order is too big to test in two business days?
Ask before it ships. Under the GearSource claims policy, a buyer who needs more than two business days because of the size of the order or the logistics must have the additional time agreed in writing by both GearSource and the seller before shipment. Sellers are not obliged to add time afterward.
### What should I do if a shipment arrives with visible damage?
Photograph the packaging from all angles, note the damage on the driver's delivery paperwork before you sign, keep a copy and hold on to the packaging and cases. Freight damage means a claim with the carrier, and the GearSource support team can help with that process. Report it within your inspection window.
### Is gear bought directly from a seller outside GearSource covered?
No. The GearSource Buyer GEARantee covers purchases made through the GearSource marketplace, where a record of payment and shipment exists in GearSource Payments. If a sale is handled outside the GearSource payment system, the buyer has to work directly with the seller to resolve any problem with the gear.
#### Marcel Fairbairn
[Follow me on my website](http://www.GeezersOfGear.com) [Follow me on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/GeezersOfGear) [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelfairbairn/) [Follow me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/marcelfairbairn)
Marcel is the Founder and CEO of GearSource. He has been a leader in the Live Events "gear" space for more than 30 years. Marcel is also a Podcaster, with the successful Geezers Of Gear show!
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