Taking a Poll

alec.korver · Since 03 Jul 2011 73 Posts

Would you guys like a shop/website that specialized in buying and selling of used gear, or offered you trade in towards new gear. the shop would sell used and new gear not on consignment.

Meaning you do not have to search for a buyer of your gear, the shop can give you money instantly.

BigR · Since 05 Jul 2005 372 Posts White Salmon Obsessed

That's not a new idea, I know shops that have been doing that for years already.

They have one or two days a year they announce a "SWAP DAY" and you can trade in your old stuff for new stuff like 30% off or something like that no matter how worn out it is. Sounds like a good deal.

alec.korver · Since 03 Jul 2011 73 Posts

I guess I am saying that it is not a once a year kind of deal. It would be year round.

Sella · Tue Sep 27, 11 1:31 pm

alec.korver · Since 03 Jul 2011 73 Posts

Yes I understand the forum/list your own gear or consignment concept. But the idea I am trying to get across is you can sell your gear INSTANTLY just bring it to the shop and they either shell out cash or let you trade it in towards new gear. No waiting to sell, no messing around essentially. Also you can trade in towards other used gear. No need to search on the forums.

Thanks for your responses!

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

Sounds like it could be handy I guess. It all depends on the deals it offers.

alec.korver · Since 03 Jul 2011 73 Posts

What kind of deals would you like to see with a shop like this?

wylieflyote · Tue Sep 27, 11 7:41 pm

I for one would gladly bring in last year's board and trade it in for this year's, and also be happy with the logical $50 to $75 loss in potential re-sale. The convenience means a lot.
For years with windsurfing I was a devoted Windance shopper and almost never went to any other Gorge store. Why? Because every spring I could come in and empty out my van for next years sails.
I always knew I could do better listing them on-line, or leaving them at 2nd Wind and waiting a few weeks... but there's a lot to be said for immediate gratification.

"Trade Up To Ezzy" was one of the best moves Windance ever pulled. That winter I noticed at our local beach in Tacoma it was almost all Ezzy after that.

Edit: Oh... And Windance NEVER offered cash for your used gear, it was always applied to a new gear purchase.

alec.korver · Since 03 Jul 2011 73 Posts

Thanks for the response! I love to hear feedback! I definitely want to make this happen.

Windance Crew · Since 18 Apr 2008 473 Posts Hood River Kite Shop Obsessed

Hey Wylieflyotie, thanks for the good words. Not to toot our horn too much but we do take trades on any gear, kite or windsurf. It just makes it easy for the consumer who is busy with their own lifestyle.

Alec, if you want my private opinion on opening a used kite store just PM me but I am glad you started this thread because everyone has good used gear to move through these days and is looking at ways to upgrade.

Dave

toddjb · Since 16 Oct 2007 271 Posts MD Obsessed

Alec, yes this would work. It depends what you pay for the used gear. I would understand it is going to be like selling your car to the dealer vs. on your own. You'll get less, but it shouldn't be highway robbery.

If you want better traffic, you should also buy/sell used gear online.

For receipt of online equipment I'd imagine that you have a table of most kites and the typical trade-in value for (NEW, EXCELLENT, GOOD) condition, and you explain the differences in condition...GOOD probably means small repairs only, lines may show wear. EXCELLENT would mean your typical weekend warrior kite or someone buys a kite they didn't like...minimal wear noticeable, but it isn't crispy new. The table tells them a kite should be worth $600, but is subject to inspection. Then they know if it is worth mailing the kite in, you inspect, make an offer in line with the estimate table and the deal is done.

While I know a lot of people have garages they'd love to unload on you, I think you would be better off taking the Carmax approach and only buying gear that is a year or two old. Otherwise you just open yourself up to too much bullshit dealing with a growing stockpile of old leaky faded kite crap.

You may also be able to say, offer $600 in cash for the kite above, but offer $650 if it's towards a new gear purchase. In the end, though, you have to make it worth it for everyone while still leaving some margin for you. Good luck!

Pepi · Mon Oct 03, 11 1:34 pm

One thing to be aware of, is that in many counties (and possibly both Oregon and Washington) the purchasing of private property for retail resell may require a law enforcement criminal background check each time you purchase items.

At our shop we Consign items, (selling other persons property), which means that we do not purchase the items outright. At one point we researched the possibility of purchasing items directly from private parties for us to resell, but this put us into a similar classification as Pawn Shops, which in turn the local law enforcement then require that we require criminal background check on each customer we purchased property from, as well as maintaining a holding timeline of 1-2 weeks before we could then resell the items.

You might want to check on your local law enforcement requirements for purchasing private property for resell. There are a lot of new laws coming into effect due to the the apparent meth/theft issues that have been building in the PDX and Multnomah county areas.