Where Can I Sell My Used Hiking Gear?

So you have some lightly used hiking gear that isn’t quite right for you anymore, but it still has
some life left. Selling your used hiking gear that you don’t use anymore can put some extra cash in your pocket and keep your gear out of the landfill. You’ll make another hiker happy and save the environment all at the same time. The only question left is where do I sell my gear?
There isn't a shortage of places where you can sell your used hiking gear. Each option has its own pros and cons. We’re here to walk you through all the best options for selling your used equipment.

Online Used Gear Marketplaces

Rerouted

Are you surprised that we put ourselves at the top of the list? You can sell all of your used hiking gear right here at Rerouted. Our mission is to save the planet by giving all outdoor gear a long life before it’s forced to retire. Keeping gear out of the landfill and reducing new production is one small step in the right direction toward preserving the outdoors that we all have fallen in love with. At Rerouted we’re dedicated to minimizing our carbon footprint in every way that makes sense. 

Our other core value is customer convenience. We are creating the easiest, most painless way to sell used outdoor gear backed by outstanding human driven customer service. We’re constantly researching new technologies that streamline the process of selling your used gear so you can spend more time playing outside and less time writing product descriptions in front of a computer.  Even though we’re using technology to make listing products easier, we have a real live human ready to help you with any customer service issues you may encounter. We’re striving for the best mix of human and computer elements to erase all the headaches of selling used gear. Help us build the future of used outdoor gear and list your equipment today.

Brand Driven Used Gear Programs

Many brands have their own programs to buy back lightly used products and resell them. Most of these programs compensate you with store credit that you can only use to buy
gear from that brand. If you’re looking to trade your jacket in and put that money toward a new backpacking stove then you’re out of luck if that brand doesn't sell backpacking stoves.  Furthermore, most brands only accept specific items. If they don’t accept your item then you have to look elsewhere.  If your item has been modified, embroidered or altered in any way then most brands won’t accept your gear.  The best time to use a brand trade in is when you have a pristine piece of used gear that you know fits into their program. 

Patagonia Worn Wear

You can return your used Patagonia gear either by mailing it to them or bringing it to your local Patagonia store. They conveniently list on their site what price they will give you for gear. Some items they’ll only give you $10 but that could go up to $100 depending on the item. You can use this store credit either for something brand new or you can even use it to buy Worn Wear. Patagonia has gotten a little more strict about what they accept and what they
decline. Make sure to wash your clothes before you send them in and don’t send anything with any signs of wear. If your Patagonia item isn’t like-new then you might get turned away.

Arc’Teryx Used Gear

Arc’Teryx will also give you store credit if you want to send them your gear. At the time of this writing they are only accepting certain items and state that if your product isn't on their list of acceptable products or if it’s in poor condition they won’t return it to you and will either
donate it or recycle it instead. If you send them something that’s not up to par then you’re out your piece of clothing and you don’t get the store credit. At least you can feel good that you’re helping to close the loop.

REI Used Gear

REI also allows you to send in gear in return for a gift card. REI's used gear program is more lenient about what they will accept compared to the other brands on this list. They are accepting anything they’ve sold in the past 6 years. They also will accept gear even if it’s not in perfect condition. They have 4 categories of wear: excellent, lightly worn, moderately worn, and well worn. They do state they will not repair anything and will not give store credit for anything stained, broken or incomplete. Just like everyone else they will donate or recycle anything that they don’t accept for trade in.  If you can find your product in their database and you’re ok with store credit and the risk you won’t get anything at all then this is a good option.

Brick and Mortar Stores

If you’re lucky enough to have a used gear store in your neighborhood then you can consider selling your used hiking gear there. Buying local is a great way to minimize any carbon
footprint due to shipping in addition to helping support your local economy. At Rerouted we partner with local shops and list their gear on our website to provide them with more sales opportunities. 

The way that many brick and mortar used gear stores operate is on a consignment basis.  In a consignment model the store owner keeps ownership of an item until it sells. When it does sell then they take their consignment fee and then you get the rest of the money. If your item doesn’t sell then usually consignment stores have a timeline of when they will discount your item. If your item doesn’t sell at all then you get to keep the item.

The other way that used gear stores operate is to buy your item for a fraction of it’s cost when you bring it in and then you get to walk away with your money that day.  You’ll
have to look into your specific local store and how they do business. This is a great option if you want to support local businesses.

General Used Product Websites

These used product websites don’t specialize in outdoor gear, but are general websites where you can sell almost anything. Even if you haven’t used any of these websites you’ve probably heard about them. They have their place and are certainly an option when you’re selling your old hiking gear.

Facebook Marketplace

The main benefit of Facebook Marketplace is that it is free to use. They do not charge you for
listing a product and they do not take any sort of commission at the time of this writing.  Your listing is then pushed out to people near you and is sent to any eligible groups that you are a part of. Facebook does not provide any solution for making a payment and the transaction
itself happens outside the marketplace. You have to message the buyer and come up with an agreement yourself.  The main consideration her is how you feel about Facebook and their stance on privacy.

eBay

This is the only auction website on your list. eBay allows you to sell your products and let other people bid on them over a timeframe of your choosing. You can also list your item with a buy it now price that ends the auction and guarantees that you get the gear you want. The main criticism of eBay is that they do no not support their sellers. Many people find that when they have an issue with a buyer that eBay’s customer service does an inadequate job protecting both the buyer and seller’s interests. There’s no guarantee that the customer service team will be able to solve the problem or even be on your side. 

Craigslist

Craigslist is free to use! What other benefits does craigslist have compared to other selling options? There aren’t many. Other websites where you can sell used hiking gear have better user interfaces, rating systems so that you can establish credibility as a reliable seller, and some sort of customer service. With Craigslist you’re on your own. There’s no customer service team to fall back on, there’s no way to prove that you’re a trustworthy seller. These holes in Craigslist’s offerings create a space where scammers run rampant and you have to sell everything with your guard up. It seems like this website hasn’t been updated in the last decade. Why are we still using this?