Question about REI Garage Sales

[swmalone]

Hello everyone. I am hoping to solicit advice from those of you that have attended the garage sales recently. I haven't been to one since they changed the return policy to 1 year and they used to have people camping for days in advance. So what I'm wondering is what those of you that have attended recently have experienced. My wife and I are thinking of making the drive down, but we live a couple hours away from the nearest REI so I'm trying to figure out what we should expect.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Perry]

Inquiring minds want to know


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[Nick]

I'm willing to bet the new online REI Used section is going to make Garage Sales a thing of the past at some point.

https://www.rei.com/used

Although their prices on the used stuff are stupid high, so who knows...

 

[LarryBoy]

I've never found anything at the garage sale worth buying. Just my 0.02...

 

[Rockskipper]

They have online garage sales that are pretty good, but I've never been to a real one so I can't compare. With my dislike of crowds, online works fine for me.

 

[swmalone]

I'm willing to bet the new online REI Used section is going to make Garage Sales a thing of the past at some point.

https://www.rei.com/used

Although their prices on the used stuff are stupid high, so who knows...

How those prices are high for the used gear. I also checked to see if it included any warranty but everything on the used site is sold as-is with no warranty.

I am not sure we are going to go to the garage sale I was just wondering if anyone has been recently. When we lived in Idaho a decade or so ago that is where we went to stock up some family members that had an interest in joining us on a backpacking trip. Since we wouldn't be looking for anything specific, mostly just seeing if anything caught our eye I don't know if the garage sales are a good investment in time any longer.

 

[tflaris]

I was told by a Salesperson at REI that the online used gear site was being run by a vendor of REI and not REI itself. I was also told that items that did not sell in the Garage Sake were sent to the Used Online Gear Sale.

As for your question I’ve been to a couple and it’s literally like a garage sale. You might find a desired item of a lifetime or you could find a bunch of used junk that you don’t want.

My only suggestion would be to list the items you are looking for and possible alternate items.

Hope this helps.


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[Wanderlust073]

I am not sure we are going to go to the garage sale I was just wondering if anyone has been recently. When we lived in Idaho a decade or so ago that is where we went to stock up some family members that had an interest in joining us on a backpacking trip. Since we wouldn't be looking for anything specific, mostly just seeing if anything caught our eye I don't know if the garage sales are a good investment in time any longer.

I stopped in at one a few weeks ago in the early afternoon. There was still a fair amount of gear left (and a huge amount of footwear). I didn't need anything that was there, but nothing was so beat up that it was unusable and the markdowns were decent. If I was looking to pick up a spare backpack or something to let guests use, yeah there was an option or two on the tables there from what I remember.

I don't think I would ever go stand in line and deal with the ticket lottery nonsense though, no matter what sort of awesomeness gets snatched up an hour after the doors open. There are plenty of good discounts on new gear via all the online retailers from time to time, including REI.

 

[humble hiker]

I wouldn’t go out in hopes of something specific. If you plan a day in town afterwards it’s worth a shot. Items are organized somewhat. Sleeping bags piled in a box. Shoes and boots start off sectioned by men’s and women’s. Was never impressed with the clothing prices. Some footwear is real good. A lot bags are returned for holes, ripped stitch, smoke smell.

Crowds were minimal this year. Get there two hours early sit in your car and read a book until a line forms. If it’s a flagship store that’s a different story.

 

[swmalone]

I passed on this most recent one. I kind of decided that drive and hassle probably isn't worth any deal I might find, especially since I wasn't looking for anything specific.