Reaffirming a commitment to affordable, pre-used gear for customers, REI unveiled a refreshed used gear website featuring new brands and more product categories available for purchase. The updated site also provides access to a series of member-to-member gear swaps and a team of employees dedicated to getting lightly used products in the hands of more customers.
“At REI, we believe a life outdoors is a life well-lived, but we know that the cost of brand-new gear can be a barrier to access,” Peter Whitcomb, REI’s director of strategy and leader of the co-op’s used gear efforts. “We launched Used Gear Beta online last year with the belief that we could help get more people outside by finding new homes for pre-loved gear and apparel.”
For years, REI has sold lightly used product (returned under its 100 percent satisfaction guarantee policy) at in-store Garage Sales. REI says its garage sales regularly draw huge crowds but are limited to members who live near physical REI stores. Likewise, the product selection at any individual sale is largely determined by what has been returned to that store.
The used gear digital presence, originally launched in October of last year, both widens the assortment of used gear available and the audience it can reach. On average, products from REI.com/used can be purchased for up to 65 percent less than buying the same products new, says the co-op. The most popular category on the used platform so far has been women’s apparel, with the most popular items being midweight down and synthetic jackets.
“In its first 10 months, the beta test has been successful beyond all expectation, which tells us there is an inherent appetite for high-quality, lightly used product at lower price points,” says Whitcomb.
Concerned citizens also can shop The Renewal Workshop online or at Seattle REI. The Renewal Workshop takes discarded textiles and apparel and turns them into new garments.
