Originally Posted by
jefnvk
Yup, this cannot be overstated. At the aforementioned last Garage Sale I attended, there was a decade old REI tent someone had managed to return being sold, and I quote (well, paraphrase) "bungee cord in poles is not strong enough anymore".
Got a pair of hiking boots at one of those sales. The tag gave as the reason for the return "Were labeled as waterproof but when I got home I stood in the bathtub for 45 minutes and one started to leak." Marked down as a returned item from the original $170 to $0.88. Figure I'll try to get across any streams I encounter in half an hour or less.