Resale retail Q&A: During holiday season of retail unpredictability, Geartrade president shares insights into resale’s ‘invisible economy’

December 17, 2025

Outdoor resale’s widespread growth includes independent brick-and-mortar retailers adding consignment elements to their stores; brands adding resale components to their online businesses; and the national resale platform of Geartrade experiencing yet another year of record growth

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – While 2026 retail headlines have been dominated by unpredictability and uncertainty, the outdoor industry’s resale economy has continued to grow quietly, rapidly and almost invisibly.

Outdoor resale’s widespread growth includes independent brick-and-mortar retailers adding consignment elements to their stores; brands adding resale components to their online businesses; and the national resale platform of Geartrade experiencing yet another year of record growth.

However, as outdoor industry resale continues to grow, its impact on the overall retail economy is not yet measured by major retail data providers nor included in holiday sales projections.

“It’s essentially an invisible economy because of how national point-of-sale data is collected, the positive impact of resale is really only seen and quantified by independent resale operations,” said Aaron Provine, president of Geartrade. “But as the resale sector continues to grow in importance and scale in the outdoor industry, it will eventually be factored into the data which will definitely lead a lot more companies into the space.”

To provide additional insights into this invisible economy, Provine recently answered a series of questions about the present and future of resale:

How would you describe the overall resale business right now?

“Whatever this market situation is right now, it’s really good for us. In our trailing 12 months, Geartrade’s core business is up +50%. And the run-up to the holidays has been exceptional as well, with September up +50%, October up +60%, and November up +51%. My sense is that most large resale providers are experiencing similar growth, as the conditions that have been feeding our business are likely feeding theirs as well. Consumers are moving toward resale because larger economic forces are pushing them our way – unemployment and joblessness is up, inflation is up, and people are feeling a loss of spending power. I expect it’ll be the biggest 4Q ever for resale operators, and will outpace traditional wholesale growth significantly.”

Is there still an element of altruism in the business of resale?

“Of course. When I first got into the resale space, a big part of my motivation was altruism. You know, it was a lot of “this is the better way, the green way.” I was looking ahead at the outdoor industry, and seeing the overproduction and waste that was certainly in our future, and knew that cracking the code on a multi-brand resale channel could help slow that down.

But more recently, my mindset has shifted a bit as I’ve recognized that for both consumers and brands it’s mainly about the money. People are looking for a deal … either good stuff at a fair price, or used stuff at a hell of a deal. And outdoor brands are looking to grow their profits. Resale has the ability to address both those needs, giving consumers the deals they want and giving brands the ability to unlock new customers.”

Where would you rank the used gear economy in the outdoor industry right now? If 1 is barely developed and 10 is at its peak?

“I’d say we’re at a 6 out of 10 right now. Resale is popping up just about everywhere, and resale operators are learning pretty quickly that their gently used gear is a great counterpoint to selling full price premium inventory. We’ll get to 8 or 9 when outdoor industry resale hits the tipping point of awareness and acceptability among consumers, which we may be seeing right now. So many other industries are way past us in their resale sophistication, like cars and books, so the question is more of a “when” than an “if.” “

What the biggest thing that the outdoor industry should know about resale?

“That it’s about growing your business, first and foremost. Yes, it has an environmental angle, but resale is about more than just lowering the carbon footprint of great gear by keeping it in use as long as possible. It’s about taking the lemons of the outdoor industry’s most glaring blind spots – overproduction, widespread end-of-life irresponsibility, and a customer base that is getting older and less active by the day – and turning them into lemonade.

Resale uses the well known problem of oversupply as a tool to unlock new outdoor industry brand fans. Because each time we connect an old piece of gear with a new owner, it reinforces the outdoor industry’s best qualities of fit and durability and performance with an entirely new demographic that doesn’t yet see the value in a $700 rain jacket or a $1500 pair of skis, but is willing to learn.”

What is the outdoor industry getting right about resale? And what are they getting wrong?

“How many companies are making gear and apparel in the outdoor industry right now? A few hundred? Maybe more? And how many of those companies have established a resale program at this point? Less than 20?

When you look at the brands that are currently engaging in resale, they’re the most forward-looking and influential brands out there. Our current resale brand partners are true thought leaders – including Jones Snowboards, DPS Skis, Flylow and Stio – and are seeing past the horizon in a way that others either aren’t able to or aren’t willing to.”

How does the future look for resale?

“There are a ton of variables out there: consumer demand, business activity, and of course governmental behavior, which for the last 9 months has fueled an incredible level of uncertainty and created a highly challenging atmosphere for business decisions of all kinds. We know that there’s a decision coming soon around tariffs from the Supreme Court, which will either be a huge boost to private industry or will cement the uncertainty, and that will obviously have a huge effect on our business. But there may be new riddles coming our way as well that we don’t even know about yet.”

ABOUT GEARTRADE: Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Geartrade is the leading independent online resale platform for outdoor gear and apparel. Family-owned since 2019, Geartrade makes it easy to buy and sell used gear, extends the life cycle of outdoor products, and minimizes their environmental impact wherever they can. Geartrade sellers include individuals, retailers, and manufacturers. For more information or to sell that great old backpack hanging in your garage, please visit www.Geartrade.com

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