Most used kendamas sell in five places: r/Kendama buy/sell/trade posts, Facebook kendama groups, Instagram, eBay and Mercari. The first three cost nothing to use and are where players who know the gear hang out. eBay and Mercari charge fees, but they hold the payment and step in when something goes wrong.

Which one you pick mostly comes down to how much you trust the person on the other end.

Why so many people buy used kendamas

New kendamas sell out fast. In our September 2026 drops recap, 16.3% of the complete kendamas we track were in stock. In August, 85 of the 111 new models had sold out again by September 7. If a model is gone from every shop, the only way left to get it is from a player who already owns one.

Used is also cheaper. A Played kendama with chips on the cups throws the same as a new one once it's broken in, and plenty of players would rather learn on one they don't have to baby.

The places, compared

Where	How you pay	If it goes wrong	Costs	Good for
r/Kendama BST posts	Whatever you and the seller agree, usually PayPal or Venmo	Depends on the payment method	Free	Players who list full specs
Facebook kendama groups	Same, arranged in messages	Depends on the payment method	Free	Collections and big lots
Instagram DMs	Same	Depends on the payment method	Free	Brand-name and limited pieces
eBay	eBay checkout	eBay Money Back Guarantee	Seller fees	Rare and older models
Mercari	Mercari checkout	Mercari's own process	Seller fees	Beginner setups and lots
Local pickup (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace)	Cash in person	Nothing after you walk away	Free	Checking it in your hand first

Buying from another player

The free channels work because the scene is small and people know each other. A seller with a post history, a few trades behind them and clear photos is a different bet from an account made last week.

Before you pay anyone, ask for:

A photo of the spike tip. A flattened or split tip means a lot of spike tricks, and it's the one part you can't sand back.
A photo looking straight down into the tama's string hole. That shows you the bevel.
The big cup, small cup and base cup, close enough to see chips.
The weight of the ken and the tama, if it matters to you. Plenty of sellers already list it ("66 grams dead on").
The real price shipped. "Selling $65 shipped US" on r/Kendama means the shipping is already in that number.

PayPal's user agreement covers purchases paid as goods and services, and Venmo's purchase protection covers payments marked as a purchase. Money sent to friends and family isn't covered by either. Read both pages before you send anything to a stranger.

What people are asking

These are asking prices from public listings we read on October 15, 2026, not prices anyone paid:

A Mugen Musou Amethyst, "Brand new. Factory sealed," listed for $350 on Craigslist in Honolulu.
A Grain Theory GTTF in birch spectraply, "selling $65 shipped US" on r/Kendama.
On eBay, a KUSA Rasta Pasta tama listed as "Nearly Fresh 9.7/10," and a Dama On Arcade kendama listed as "Never played w/ OG Dust Bag!! 10/10."

Sellers often rate condition out of 10, and the scale isn't written down anywhere. The photos tell you more than the number does.

Selling yours

The same places work in reverse. Free channels get you the most money if a buyer trusts you. eBay and Mercari get you more buyers and take a cut.

Whichever you pick, three things sell a used kendama: real photos in daylight, every chip named before anyone asks, and a price that starts from what the model costs new today. Search the model on Dama Pig, and its product page shows the current price and whether any shop still has it in stock. If nobody does, you can ask more.

If you'd rather buy new, our where to buy kendamas online page lists every shop we track, and the beginner page shows what's in stock under $50 right now.