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REI Launches Online Used Gear Program

Published: October 23, 2017
By Dave Collins

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At CleverHiker, we’re big fans of REI and have been for years. If you’re an REI Co-Op member, you probably already know about their generous dividends and excellent return policy. And if you live in a city with an REI, you may be familiar with their popular “Garage Sales,” where people line up hours before open to score killer deals on used gear. Well, REI is taking that idea to another level with the launch of their new online used gear website, making shopping for discounted gear even easier.

How it Works

  1. Customers return gently used gear.
  2. REI inspects returned gear and selects the items in the best condition.
  3. REI puts these items up on their site in well-organized categories
  4. You score sweet gear on the cheap!

REI’s new used gear program sells apparel, footwear, camping gear (tents, packs, cooking systems, etc), and a whole lot more. Discounts generally range from 20-30% off retail, which is a fair deal for gently used gear in our opinion. We took a look through REI’s used offerings and were surprised to find quite a few items from the CleverHiker Gear Guide on there. A lot of used gear programs carry mostly junk, but that seems not to be the case with REI’s offerings. 

Downsides? Well apart from not getting shiny new equipment, items sold through REI’s used gear site will only carry a 30-day return policy, instead of their usual one-year policy. Also, REI won’t be selling large, hard-to-clean items like bikes and sleeping bags through the site. But other than that, this seems like a solid win-win scenario. 

While selling used gear is not a new concept, we can certainly get behind one of the largest outdoor retailers bringing this practice online. Keep used equipment out of the dump, minimize the loss to the retailer, and increase outdoor accessibility for adventurers on a budget. Good for the planet. Good for people. Count us in.

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