M_S

And I totally just stumbled onto it! I guess because of their generous return policy REI ends up with a ton of stuff that they can't put back on the shelves.

Rummaging through the bins, I came out with two Cateye blinkers (front and rear) worth about 10 bucks a piece for a grand total of 2.83 for the both of 'em. Nothing wrong whatsoever except that they were missing the mounts. I have extra hardware at home, so no problem. I may give them to a friend who doesn't have lights for her bike.

Next I pull up a 30 dollar pair of sunglasses, which were amazingly unscratched amidst the other items. They were just over 5 bucks. Sweet, I lost my sunglasses, so these go in the bag.

My next find could have made it a very expensive day, had I kept it. There was a Deore LX crankset/bottom bracket in perfect condition marked down 70%. Holy mother of... I had to pinch myself. It was still a lot of money for me and I had absolutely zero use for the thing. I put it back.

The last thing I took home was a pair of SKS mountain bike/clip on plastic fenders. The kind commuters here love to hate on but they were 4 bucks. I'm moving to Missoula this fall for school and while it's not very rainy, it does snow. I'd been wanting fenders that I could fit 35 knobbies under and still have plenty of clearance so the snow doesn't build up. I have zero experience riding in snow, but we'll see how it goes.


All in all I had a very productive day as a consumer.

thelazywon

deore lx crank/bb are about 150-180 bucks... you should have gotten it and resold it on ebay

chephy

I hate you.

eofelis 

We live within walking distance of an REI and have gotten some very nice things at the REI "garage sales."
A few years back we got some NOS steel bike frames at on of their sales. This REI doesn't have a bike shop so they must have shipped them in from a warehouse somewhere. Three of the frames were 17in Novara Ponderosas and one was a 13.5in Randonee. The Randonee fit me nicely and it's now built up to be my commuter and we sold the other frames on ebay. Oh, and did I mention that we paid $15 each for these frames? We've gotten other thing there that we sold on ebay and made some money.

We've also gotten many things there that we use. An REI Taj 3 tent for $35. A Delta bike rack (for storing bikes in the house) for $11. A Delta Sherpa pannier rack (new) that is on my Randonee for $2. Plus many other things as well.

We've also gotten nice things cheap on their regular clearance sales. I got 2 Giro Eclipse helmets for $25 each ($75 reg price) I put one in the closet for a spare. My SO got a pair of PI bib tights for $35 (over $100 reg price).

M_S

Yeah, but knowing me, I wouldn't have. I'd have started collecting parts until I'd built up a mountain bike.

15 bucks a frame? Wow. There were no frames there--some cruddy 26 inch wheels though. Had they been 700c I would have taken the lot. However I didn't get there very early, so some of the really good stuff may have been snapped up already.

donnamb 

Please tell me you're getting studded tires for the Montana winters, M_S...

climbhoser

While Montana is snowy, overall, I think you'll be surprised to find how rainy Missoula is. It's no Portland or Eugene, but it's close. The valley suffers from inversions that keep the air warm, but socked in. It snows a little bit more than Eugene, but not a whole lot. The fenders will be nice.

ontheroadid

That's what most of the buyers at the Boise sale do. They are why I quit going.

Sawtooth

The returned goods sale is very sad here in Boise these days. The first 50 in the door grab everything they can and the rest (who also spent the night waiting) get the leftover broken stuff.

I don't get it, there must just be an exorbenant amount of cheapskates here in Boise (I am one of them)


I am all for making a quick buck, but there has to be some sanctity in a few community events. MAN, we used to live for that sale. Now, if you are not in line by noon the day before, you have no chance.

ontheroadid

My wife and friends are tired of hearing me rant about what's become of the sale. Bunch of kids camping overnight, and then grabbing every high-dollar piece of gear (bike racks, GPS units, skis, tents) to resell on Ebay. They don't even try to disguise their motives, and REI can't do anything about it. I don't bother any more. I've moved on to the new Sierra Trading Post outlet, Ebay, and Craigslist...

rule

Well don't feel too bad...maybe one of them got the defective GPS unit I returned.

Sawtooth

LOL. That is great. Of course, they just sell it to someone else.

malpag3

As someone who works at REI (and would shop/camp the garage sale for 6 years prior), let me tell you...great deals, but sometimes they require some effort.

Sometimes working as a cashier we hear the best excuses for returning stuff! Best in that we really don't care because it is 100% satisfaction guarantee and it's no skin off our backs, but some people still think they have to make up stuff.

For instance, my special nalgene bottle has dents in it! Turns out they are finger grips...duhhhh. But to the garage sale it went.

Love it!

M_S

Saving up. Those things are spendy.

Though according to this guy I may be fine with knobbies at a low PSI.

If it's rainy more than snowy the SKS chromoplastics will go back on. Less clearance, but way more coverage.

vrkelley

Hey when does the REI sale end?

Sawtooth

It is only for a few hours every 6 months or so. They hand out flyers at the individual REI stores weeks in advance.

idcruiserman

Damn that's funny.

climbhoser

I had friends that used to just scour garage sales and gear swaps in Boulder only to return products for full trade at REI. Great example was a friend who found an old, beat up pair of Koflach Arctis-Expe plastic mountaineering boots. Bought 'em for $50...guy had just done a stint guiding on Denali that summer...and then took them to REI for full value ($300 some). Ridiculous, that store is.

My wife used to be the shipping/receiving personnel and would swipe B-93 (returns) climbing gear for me all the time. I guess the climbing gear is the only stuff they can't re-sell due to liability. She brought me home a BRAND NEW #4 Black Diamond Camalot once...retails for $75. Brought home 'biners and bights of rope galore. Place is like a candy store.

I did get stymied by them once, though. I can't remember what I was trying to bring in, but apparently REI had never carried it. The clerk just looked at me like I was an idiot.

MontanaJustin

I grew up in Montana and went to college there as well - I never needed studded tires, even doing some mountain biking up the Rattlesnake and other off-road areas around town. I'm sure they would have been nice at times, but with the frequent inversions and overall warming over the last 10 years, the valley floor is clear of snow almost the whole year (especially roads and sidewalks). Save the dough for burritos or beer, and skip the studs...
Also, I made do with some plastic fenders myself for over 7 years of commuting to school and work in Montana, and never had any problems

Zero_Enigma

Does anyone offer redirect services on the board? Like a long standing member that is? I find when buying from the USA I always get dinged like nuts when ordering stuff. It just makes it seem more worth while to drive the car down and fill the spare tire with jerseys, energy bars, and other bike gear.

M_S

That's good to know. I've heard varying opinions, though I know for Montana Missoula has relatively mild winters. It will still most likely be more than what I've experienced living in Portland. I have a set of 35c cyclocross tires that work great in the dirt. The knobs are big but spaced pretty far apart, and I've been told they'd be decent in the snow, particularly at the lower end of their PSI range (maybe 40-50?). Anyways, I can't fit anything bigger than that on the rear of my bike, so we'll see how it works out. I'll be overjoyed if I can use my 28 slicks during winter months, but I'm not counting on it.

They didn't need receipts?

Now I know why REI is expensive... gotta cover their losses.

DataJunkie

I have never been to one. The nearest store to me is the flagship store in downtown Denver. You end up selecting a number and I believe it goes by a lottery system. Looks like a madhouse. I would rather pay full price and avoid the hassle.

climbhoser

About the receipts...It can be covered one of two ways. One is you claim that you bought the piece of equipment long enough ago that it isn't in your membership history. Two is that you claim it was a gift, that you know was bought at REI, but you don't know membership numbers and you thought you'd keep the gear so you threw away the receipt.

I messed that one up once, though, when I told an REI cashier that my grandmother in Oklahoma City picked it out. They don't have an REI in OKC.

Blue Order

Missed the sale this year. A few years ago, I stopped by there on a whim, after changing my mind about not going. Got there towards the end of the sale. I had been looking at hiking boots, so I gravitated towards that section. I found a really nice pair for $24, marked down from over $100 (and probably closer to $200-- I don't remember now). Just as I was looking at them, an REI employee walked in and announced that all sale prices were now slashed in half.

I guess I should go again next time.

By the way, I got stranded in Missoula in December 2 or 3 years ago when I was driving cross country and the car broke down. I don't think it's accurate to say there's no snow there, although the roads *in town* were clear. There was a blizzard just before Missoula, and a *major* blizzard just before the North Dakota border.

climbhoser

I don't think anyone ever said NO snow, just not a whole lot. Head just north to Kalispell and you hit the deep stuff pretty quick. South, about the same, even west and east it doesn't take long for you to get to deep snow. However, right there in the valley proper it's mostly just wet, overcast and cold, but not cold enough for snow. That is to say, most of the time....which is also to say that it will snow on occasion, but not a whole lot when it does...maybe a few inches. It gets plowed very quickly, and the streets are pretty passable.

That said, I have been there DURING a blizzard when they got several feet that lasted a few days and the roads were hell. It happens, it's just not the norm. Certainly nothing to get studded tires for.

I grew up in Colorado and rode my bike most of the time everywhere I went. I never needed studded tires and we got more snow in my hometown that Missoula, by far.