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Deuce
Trad climber
Sonoma County, Ca
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 22, 2007 - 05:16am PT
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I recently lost my pro-deals and am looking to buy some gear. Any opinions about where I should shop for the best deals?
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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May 22, 2007 - 08:25am PT
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Hey Deuce,
Ebay has worked well for me for the bulk of my gear, then I usually try to spend some cash at local ma and pa climbing shops in the area I am climbing. You may not get the best deals on gear but they are usually very helpful with Beta.
Prod.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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May 22, 2007 - 08:42am PT
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gearexpress.com is excelent price and service. free shipping, They don't allways have everything though. It is good to shop localy if you can. I just don't have any real gear shops localy.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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May 22, 2007 - 08:44am PT
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There is this Czech site that Irish climbers use, and one in Spain as well, both with very affordable gear apparently, but I guess since you are in the States these two wouldn't be of any use to you.
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sheepdog
Trad climber
just over the hill
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May 22, 2007 - 08:50am PT
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Checkout spadout (http://www.spadout.com); as they canvas multiple sites, sort of a price comparison site for gear. They cover gear express, gear x, moosejaw, etc., etc.
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Evdawg
Trad climber
Sacramento/S. Tahoe
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May 24, 2007 - 01:22am PT
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people are saying to buy off ebay or off someone else. is it really a good idea to be buying used gear?
personally i would have no problem with it, but the pro's tell me to only buy new gear (possably cause they're not the ones forking out the $$$)
idk
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Jude Bischoff
Ice climber
Palm Springs
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May 24, 2007 - 01:55am PT
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The Ebay gear is usually new. I have purchased camelots there with great success. The price was the equivelant of buy 3 get one free.
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couchmaster
climber
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May 24, 2007 - 01:55am PT
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Buy it all new.
I mean used. Yeah.
Ok, maybe not.
Spadout works great. I'd toss MountainGear.com and Bentgate.com in the mix too.
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up2top
Big Wall climber
Phoenix, AZ
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May 24, 2007 - 03:34am PT
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A second and very sincere vote for Gearexpress.com. On RC.com there have been many threads spontaneously started by climbers happy with the buying experience with those fellas (including by me). Over the past several years I've never seen anyone write a bad word about them. Great customer service -- personal, friendly, fast, and efficient.
Ed
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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May 24, 2007 - 10:15am PT
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Hey Evwdag,
I have bought a bunch of gear on ebay, and have found that all of it was in great shape. Sometimes even brand new never used or used once cams. The problem is that you have to keep your eyes peeled on a regular basis to get the great deals.
-Watch out for shipping and handling expences.
-Know the retail price and what you are willing to spend, do not get caught up in the excitement of the auction (I have and it has cost me nearly retail)
-Look into the sellers history and peer rate. That will tell a lot.
Prod.
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murcy
climber
San Fran Cisco
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May 24, 2007 - 10:22am PT
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gearexpress if i need it now. otherwise, you can save a lot if you buy opportunistically, keeping an eye on the rc.com "hot deals" thread, on steeepandcheap.com, on thalowdown.com, and here.
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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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May 24, 2007 - 10:36am PT
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The best website is the lottery’s, win the lottery and you won’t have to be concerned about the price of gear.
Of course, statistically, the lottery is the worst kind of gambling you can do.
What’s the saying: Get your lotto form, fill out the numbers, take the $2 and the form and… put them in a drawer, thus by saving yourself $2.
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Tom M
climber
somewhere out there
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May 24, 2007 - 10:58am PT
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If you're looking for Black Diamond gear, order it through the Mountain Equipment Co-op in Canada. Their price is lower in Canadian dollars than REI is US dollars!
Examples:
Yosemite Hammer: MEC = $81CAD; REI = $89.95USD
#2 C4 Camalot: MEC = $57CAD; REI = $64.95USD
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Jan 29, 2008 - 12:12am PT
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any bentgate mountaineering stories good or bad?
thinking of buying some gear from them.
thx,
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Shack
Big Wall climber
Reno NV
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Jan 29, 2008 - 12:30am PT
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Nope.
But I have tried these and found:
Backcountrygear.com is good,
GearExpress.com is pretty good,
Fishproducts.com is highly recommended.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Jan 29, 2008 - 12:35am PT
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Tom M said If you're looking for Black Diamond gear, order it through the Mountain Equipment Co-op in Canada. Their price is lower in Canadian dollars than REI is US dollars!
Not if you're ordering from the US. Sometime about five years ago MEC caved in to pressure from US manufacturers (who were really just reflecting pressure from US retailers) and altered its long-standing pro-member principle to a "pro-Canadian-member" principle. Most of the US-made equipment that climbers want now carries a "not available for shipment to the US" tag.
Am I pissed about this? Yes. I was the first manager of MEC's mail-order department, and was a part of a crew who held that principles were worth defending. One of those principles was that raising prices to keep other retailers from whining to suppliers was wrong. (In Canada, it's actually illegal, but that's another story.) It seems to me that discriminating against a climber just because s/he lives in the US is wrong.
Ask Anders (Mighty Hiker) about this. He was involved in MEC almost from the beginning, and is a man of strong principle.
End of rant.
Sorry about that, but it's a matter of considerable irritation to me.
D
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Redwreck
Social climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Jan 29, 2008 - 12:46am PT
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gearexpress.biz is great. Prices and selection are good and Blake is wonderful to deal with.
I've been buying some used cams and 'biners on eBay and haven't gotten burned yet.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Jan 29, 2008 - 01:41am PT
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looking to buy a solo aid, ebay sellers are around half of retail, so if anyone has one and wants to part with it. ping meh.
thx,
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