Geartrade

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peakbagger

In Rembrance , July 2024
Joined
Sep 3, 2003
Messages
8,639
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Location
Gorham NH
I must admit, like many other folks, I have quite an inventory of gear. Some were nice ideas at the time but just didnt work out. I had a very high end Hyperlight Gear tent that I bought several years ago that just didnt fit my expectations or use. It was a close out and by the time I decided that I was not going to use it, there were no return options. I suppose I could have tried selling direct but to much hassle for me and I expect that for many folks they would run into into the same limitations.. It was advertised as an ultralight two man tent but they were really stretching the definition of "two men", far more likely a solo person and maybe a small dog. I had heard of Geartrade in the past and had bought some gear retail from them so I decided to try their consignment shop. Its gets a lot of eyeballs from all over the country. They send a free shipping label so I packed up the tent and sent it. In about 2 weeks I got their apprised cost at about 30% of new and copy of the listing. It got sold once but got returned about 3 months ago but recently sold. Once they got past the return period they notified me and the money got deposited in my account.

Sure I might have been able to sell if for more but expect I would have found a lot of tire kickers and folks wanting to wheel and deal but for me the lack of hassle was worth a lower price as the alternative was for it to sit on the shelf and probably get given or more likely thrown away. I will probably pack up another mixed batch of stuff one of these months. They are looking for new or nearly new geat and do have the right to reject items so keep that in mind if you try it. I dont know a lot of young hikers these days so I dont have a lot of options to give stuff away to someone who can use it. I gave my friends daughter a nice Marmot Hydrogen down bag last year but her parents are also gearaholics and are getting close to the point where they need to seriously pare down the gear.

One of the items for future sale is a pair of size 13 plastic winter boots. I tried them on and off for a couple of years but despite being known to be wide, they sure were not wide enough for me.
 
I’ve bought from Geartrade a few times but never sold. Maybe I should look into it, I have somewhere around 16 backpacks that I’ve bought and either liked, didn’t like, or haven’t used enough to form an opinion. Facebook groups are very hit or miss, and if you sell for 50% of MSRP shipping costs leave you with 10-20% at most. If the buyer pays shipping it comes out to about 75% of MSRP, and other than Osprey will there even be a warranty?

In the past I’ve offered gear to the local Scout troop, but I think their numbers are small enough that they have most of what they need either in troop gear or what the boys themselves have. It’s definitely an option if they need backpacks up to 70l in 18-21” torso lengths and medium-large shoulder harnesses & hip belts!

I’ve been thinking of bringing a bunch of stuff to IME for consignment next time I head south, the advantage to that is the store knows what the gear will sell for and the clientele is less likely to make ridiculously lowball offers. 60% of the sale price in cash or 70% store credit isn’t bad at all.
 
I’ve been thinking of bringing a bunch of stuff to IME for consignment next time I head south, the advantage to that is the store knows what the gear will sell for and the clientele is less likely to make ridiculously lowball offers. 60% of the sale price in cash or 70% store credit isn’t bad at all.

That is generally my play whenever I'm passing through N. Conway. Drop off a couple things for the IME basement.
 
That is generally my play whenever I'm passing through N. Conway. Drop off a couple things for the IME basement.
Not sure if Ragged Mountain still does consignment and what their present rates are. But they attract a different audience than IME which might help sell your gear. Ragged is more hiker oriented in general whereas IME attracts a more technical crowd which is reflective of both stores already retail focus.
 
Ragged definitely has consignment, down in their basement, next to the deep discount stuff, socks, and a well stocked section with fasteners, zippers, bolts of cloth, remnants and so on. This week, I saw on consignment clothing, jackets, hiking and ski boots, shoes, packs, and I think some ski gear. Didn't notice anything like stoves or tents, or climbing gear.
 
My one purchase, so far, from Geartrade, happened at the end of this ski season. Backcountry.com, or someone like them, was selling a pair of 22 Designs Outlaw X bindings. They were lightly used according to the write-up. I ordered them and they came without the flex plates or the slic pins that hold those in. It was obvious that whoever removed them from the skis forgot to keep all the pieces together. When they arrived I immediately ordered what I needed directly from 22D at a cost of $50. I was still getting a deal but obviously now it wasn't as much. I gave them a poor review and then decided to see if there was anything that could be done. We worked out a $60 refund to my c.c. account so the original deal was preserved and I changed my review to reflect their willingness to make it right.
 
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