InsideOutdoor | WINTER 2023 15 peers. In 2022, year-to-date sales for the Trail Head’s used consignment section included more than 9,000 items, at a margin of slightly more than 40 percent. “It’s the part of my business I’m most optimistic about,” said Frank. “Our used consignment store within our traditional retail operation continues to grow and seems to be insulated from the glut of stock in the traditional channel. It has introduced new consumers for us that had migrated to deal shopping online.” For brick-and-mortar retailers like Frank, the rule of thumb on consignment is that it gets people in the doors twice – once to drop off the gear they are selling, and once to pick up their payment. Like all consignment retailers, the Trail Head tiers its commission based on the price of the items, as well as whether the customer wants cash or is willing to take store credit. According to Frank, the Trail Head works with its customers to set a “pretty aggressive” price, and that 72 percent of those customers opt for the store credit. While clearly bullish on the opportunities of used gear and apparel for specialty retailers, Frank also offered a word of warning to go along with his encouragement. “I’d make sure anyone that wants to do it understands who shops it,” said Frank. “Most of our consignors are regular customers and are often getting rid of old so they feel better about buying new.” That desire for a “feel-good” purchase is a common thread throughout the used gear marketplace, as early consumer research data point to its practicality, affordability and its inherent sustainability — i.e., for those seeking to lower their carbon footprint, the most sustainable piece of gear is the thing that already has been made. According to Park City-based Snowsports Industries America (SIA), about 40 percent of used gear buyers are doing it because they see a direct link between used gear and a benefit for the environment. That desire for proactive environmentalism also is reflected in the 2021 Protect Our Winters Annual Report, in which 82 percent of its members expressed a strong desire to find individual actions that can help them reduce their carbon footprint. Despite the broad interest in used gear among outdoor enthusiasts, the cost of shipping large items – such as skis, bikes and other sizable hard goods – historically has limited secondhand opportunities to towns with savvy and forward-looking brick-andmortar retailers like the Trail Head But Provine and Geartrade have built an exception to that rule, developing a thriving re-commerce marketplace that serves a national audience. Since acquiring Geartrade in late 2019, Provine’s growth has been steady and significant, quadrupling the annual gross revenue and increasing his margin intake tenfold. He also has managed to achieve that growth within specific sustainability goals, achieving carbon neutral certification for the last two years. “The primary obstacle to overall growth of the Geartrade community – as well as the national used gear marketplace – is certainly not in the ability to purchase used gear. The problem is the selling part, which is a big ball of time and effort required to prepare a piece of gear for a sale, as well as the unexpected costs of shipping which quickly eat away at any profit,” said Provine. To overcome those hurdles, Provine and the Geartrade team spent 18 months on the development and creation of a national “consignment service,” which is essentially an ‘Easy Button’ for sellers of used gear that was launched in the fall of 2021. The Geartrade service includes delivery of a free postage-paid box to the sellers and an in-house concierge service that receives, evaluates, photographs and posts all product sales on their behalf. Combining a robust and proven peer-to-peer online sales platform with an overlay of sophisticated shipping and logistics as well as expert human elements needed to price a piece of gear or apparel accurately and communicate that information to the seller, the Geartrade Consignment Service has captured the attention of the outdoor industry, earning a spot as a finalist of the 2023 Outdoor Retailer Innovation Awards Since the rollout of the Geartrade Consignment Service, overall sales volume has increased by more than 200 percent while gross margin dollars have increased 700 percent. “It’s been a crazy year, and we’re certainly psyched about the Geartrade growth trajectory,” said Provine. “It’s incredibly satisfying to see how used gear and apparel has gone from an afterthought to being a primary consideration of outdoor consumers. Because at the end of day, an increasing awareness of the relationship between consumption and sustainability is a good thing for all of us.” m
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