After years of holding pop-up resale events, Patagonia introduced its Worn Wear program, selling used Patagonia goods and apparel online, in 2017. A used men’s Snowshot Jacket in “great condition,” which would have retailed for $399 when it was new, was recently listed on the site for $266.
The outdoor retailer REI Co-op held resale “garage sales” events in its stores for about 60 years before instituting its trade-in program and e-commerce site for used gear, known as Re/Supply, in 2020. It now also has brick-and-mortar resale stores in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and Conshohocken, Pa.
“We see re-commerce as a significant opportunity for us to continue to evolve our commercial business model in the service of meeting our 2030 climate targets,” including reducing carbon emissions by 55 percent, said Ken Voeller, the divisional vice president of circular commerce at REI. “On average, selling a used item saves roughly 50 percent of the carbon associated with selling a comparable new product.”
The company’s trade-in program to recycle used gear and apparel — which must be an item REI formerly carried, though it does not necessarily need to have been purchased there — issues sellers a store credit. The trade-in business is on track to double this year.
Though REI’s biggest resale category is camping gear, interest in winter categories is up double digits percentage-wise this year. Recently, the site listed insulated Burton snow pants for women, which originally cost $200 new, at about $96 used.
“We see the used offering as a way to lower the price barrier to entry to getting people outside,” Mr. Voeller said.
Last year, Eddie Bauer launched (Re)Adventure, offering rental gear. This year, it added resale goods taken from store returns, which are priced at 20 to 60 percent below original prices for hiking and camping apparel and gear. Consumers can also rent items with an option to buy. A women’s down parka, originally $209, was recently available to rent for $8 a day, or to buy for $115.
