last couple of years my main concern for buying a kite is not performance anymore but price only .
as long as south europe faces dramatic economic changes ,
is it posible for a kite brand to offer a model at a really low end price ?
i suspect that my kitting days will last as long as my kite stays one piece !
P.S. guess what ... yes im from greece

Buying a new cheap kite is false economy. I believe you get what you pay for. Buy cheap, you'll get cheap. Why not buy a secondhand kite. Buy something that is a couple of years old, but hardly used that used to cost 2000 dollars, but you got it for 500 dollars. I don't own any north kites, but you can't deny that they have been working well since 2006. There is nothing wrong with an older Vegas or rebel. Not to mention they are compatible with new bars. That's good value!

A better idea is if you want the latest stuff, then offer to work at a Kitesurf shop or school and ask to be paid with equipment. This can work really well.

Second hand is so cheap!
You can get very good deals.

Look up ebay and second hand sites from Germany...gear is cheap on there.

SURE CAN DO

Around where i kite... 12M Rebel 2010 "complete"in good condition.. the going rate is near $500 US

When that kite came out brand new in September of 2009 it was probably around $1700

If you sold that kite in October 2010 it could have gone for $1100

Same but October 2011 could have sold for $800

And now October 2012 it should go for $500

Simple depreciation.....lots of people crave the new stuff

But buying smartly second hand gear....or third hand.....can save you a bundle of cash

Or you can still get new kite(s) if you go with a brand like switch, which seems like pretty killer kites.

Also I'm not sure why, but Flexifoil kites don't hold they're value too well, and they're killer kites.

There are options out there.

You can buy a new 2011 Caution Spitfire 11m directly from Caution for only $600. (That's without a bar). So two helpful hints to save money on new kites: buy direct, buy last years model.

Lots of companies are now releasing their 2013 models and there's always a rush amongst distributors/dealers to get rid of last years stock, have a look for last years gear now and you'll probably find some deals.

Can you link the German second hand sites? I only know oase.de

Thanks!

The used kite prices on ikitesurf are getting a bit ridiculous. When you can get 2012 kites at 30% off why would anybody buy used, sight unseen, to save a couple hundred dollars on a 12 meter kite? You can sometimes do better on local forums.

WRT used kites in the $500 range, a kite that's actually been used for two or three seasons may not have $500 worth of life in it. Kites have a limited lifetime of highly reliable operation. Older kites might be fine on a shallow bay but not the best idea in the surf.