Gear Trade

Outdoor gear can get expensive.  If you are looking for less expensive options, you might try Gear Trade, our newest affiliate.  If you have some gear you no longer need,  Gear Trade also provides a way for you to sell it to someone that will appreciate it.

How Gear Trade Works

Getting Started

The first step is to go to the Gear Trade website and sign up for an account.  This allows you to both buy and sell items.  The signup is typical.  Either use your Facebook account or enter your name, email address, a username and a password.  The system will send you an email so that you can verify the account.  That way no one will be able to sign up for you without your knowledge.

 

Buying

Buying works pretty much like any online store.  The major difference is that when you click to buy something, you have a limited time to complete your transaction.  Unlike a regular online store, the items on Gear Trade are usually one-of-a-kind in the sense that there is no inventory, just one item to be sold by an individual.  When you start the purchase process, the item is immediately reserved for you.  If you don’t close the deal in a timely manner,  the item goes back on sale.

 

Selling

Selling begins with uploading some photos of your item.  That’s not required, but its a good idea if you want to attract attention and sell more quickly.  Next you provide a title and description for your item.  The description is where you explain how much your item has been used, why you are selling it and anything else someone might want to know about it.   To help people find it, you next assign it to one of these categories:

• Clothing
• Hiking and Camping
• Travel
• Ski
• Snowboard
• Climb
• Mountain Bike
• Road Bike
• Skate
• Surf and Wake
• Paddle Sports
• Snowshoe
• Fly Fishing
• Media

There are special lines to enter brand, model, size, keywords, condition (fair, good, excellent, new), type (used vs never used), quantity and gender.  With all this information,  the buyer should know exactly what it  is that you are selling.

Next you set the price for your item.  You enter the retail price (what you paid for it new) and the price you would like to get for it.  There are also features that automatically allow your price to drop over time within limits you specify.  You can also choose to accept offers.

Finally you decide how you want to be paid for shipping costs.  You can choose:

• Ship your gear for FREE
• Charge a Flat Rate
• Use a shipping calculator

You can also choose which carriers you would like to use: FedEx, UPS ad/or USPS.

At that point you click a button and your item is listed for sale.

After your product sells,  Gear Trade will send you an email with the shipping address, you ship it and provide Gear Trade with the tracking number and Gear Trade sends you a check in one to two weeks.  The whole process is easier to perform than to explain.

 

The Cost

Gear Trade is providing a service for sellers and it isn’t free, unless you don’t sell anything.  When your item sells, Gear Trade keeps a straight 12% for their fee before sending you a check – set your price accordingly.

The Deals

Every time you visit the site you will find different things for sale and different prices (typically lower) on some things you may have seen before.  Although I can’t provide a link to the individual products on Gear Trade, because items sell so often, here are some prices to give you an idea of the deals you might see when you visit the website.  A link to the item on REI is provided so you can see a more complete comparison.

 

Hiking and Camping > Tents >3-Season Tents  (15 New, 23 Used)

 

• Big Agnes Rattlesnake SL2 MtnGlo  – used once, doesn’t like the color: $260. Retail at REI: $349.95 (Save $90)
• Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 – used once, needed a larger tent (includes footprint): $325. Retail at REI $429.95 plus Footprint $70 (Save $175)
• Sierra Designs Flash 2 – used in excellent condition: $200. Retail at REI: $299.95 (Save $100)

Hiking and Camping > Backpacks > Overnight Backpacks  (10 New, 16 Used)

 

• Osprey Aura AG 50 Womens  – never used: $195. Retail at REI: $229.95 (Save $40)
• Arc’teryx Altra 50 – never used: $242.72 Retail at REI on sale: $215.93 (Overpay $27)
• Osprey Talon 44 – gently used, excellent condition: $110.00 Retail at REI: $149.95 (Save $40)

Hiking and Camping > Sleeping Bags > Down Sleeping Bags   (5 New, 14 Used)

 

• Marmot Teton Long – used, excellent condition: $179.40. Retail at REI: $309.00 (Save $130)
• Kelty Cosmic Down 20 Long – used for 1/2 of PCT through hike, excellent condition: $120.00. Retail at REI: $169.95 (Save $50)
• Marmot Angel Fire Regular – used a dozen times, good condition:  $200.00.  Retail at REI: $189.93 (Overpay $10)

Hiking and Camping > Stoves > Cannister Stoves  (1 New, 2 Used)

• Jetboil Joule – never used: $160.00. Retail at REI: $199.95 (Save $40)
• Jetboil MiniMo – used, like new: $84.83. Retail at REI: $79.93 (Overpay $5)

The Bottom Line

For the most part, as you can see, you will save some money at Gear Trade.  Sometimes due to sales or discontinued items some sources will have the new item for less than Gear Trade.  This gives you an opening to offer a lesser amount using the store price as your argument.

On the other hand,  if you have some gear that’s in good shape, you can probably turn it into cash at Gear Trade.

Gear Trade is a great option if you need or want some great gear but find yourself on a tight budget.  Just be sure to check other sources too – you may get certain things cheaper elsewhere.