On a bit of a tiny budget but really want to try out using a trainer kite with bar.

New I saw a few for $280 ish but that's a bit out of my range.

Where would be the best place to try and find one to buy second hand?

I've looked on gumtree, fb marketplace etc no avail.

Maybe expand your search as there are cheaper new options than the price you mentioned.

The school recommends getting a trainer kite ??

I've read a bunch of forums before posting and can see that trainer kite thing is a contentious issue for some lol very divided opinions.

I'm not made of money but will pay for lessons. But not being super flush I want to minimise the number of lessons I need to take by doing my own learning first.

tried to fly a 7m 4 line power kite and it scared the jeebus out of me, so I really do feel I have to get a grasp of how the wind works before giving that another go.

I know how I learn and I'll want to take my time on this, being able to do it with my eyes closed before jumping in and throwing water in to the mix.

The guys at the shop seemed to think 7m wasn't too bad to learn on, although they felt with 2 handles it wouldn't give the same feel as a bar, so once I was ready to jump up to that kite again to get a bar and connect that to the kite I have.

The boarding part I'm not as worried about, with hundreds of hours snowboarding wake boarding and surfing I'm fairly proficient on a board .