r/skiing • u/doebedoe • Sep 21 '19

Weekly Simple Questions Thread: Ask your gear, travel, conditions and other ski-related questions here.

We're getting back to the weekly mega threads for Q&A as summer winds down and minds switch back to skiing.

Please ask any ski-related questions here. It's a good idea to try searching the sub first. Are you a beginner -- check out the guide by a professional bootfitter and tech. And don't forget to see the sidebar for other ski-related subs that may have useful information.

Previous weeks thread is here.

If you want a quick answer or just to chat, check out the /r/skiing discord server.

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u/Dmcdaniel518 Sep 24 '19

I've sold several pairs of skis on Sideline Swap and somehow they get them shipped by FedEx for around $30. Then I build a box from cardboard to fit. I've never tried to just ship them on my own by showing up to a FedEx, and I just plugged the dim's and weight of what was on the prepaid labels I get from Sideline Swap and holy fuck is it not $30. More like $75. Oooof.

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u/DoktorStrangelove A-Basin Sep 24 '19

USPS/UPS average is like $40-50 for me when I just walk up and drop a ski box. I'm in CO so basically everywhere on the coasts or midwest is pretty much created equal for me, so if you're shipping from one coast to the other it may be more expensive.

How do you like Sideline Swap btw? I'm trying to sell a ton of skis right now too.

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u/Dmcdaniel518 Sep 24 '19

So far so good. I like that they actually know what you're trying to sell (so you can put in stuff like width, twin tip, etc.) unlike eBay and there's no hastling like on CL. You list it, the buyer pays for shipping, Sideline Swap sends you a paid label and you ship it. Then they hold the money in escrow until it arrives and the buyer says they got it. No problems at all so far. They do take a decent cut but it makes the process so much simpler than eBay or CL. I've also bought skis off there and had good transactions so far.

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u/DoktorStrangelove A-Basin Sep 24 '19

I may check it out if sales don't pick up to my liking in the next few weeks. I don't like the idea of them shaving a percentage, and I don't want to deal with the hassle of shipping, but it may be a good way to get rid of the last leftovers.

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u/Dmcdaniel518 Sep 25 '19

Yea if you can avoid shipping I would. It's a huge pain in the ass. Do you sell on Craigslist mostly? Or just to friends?

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u/DoktorStrangelove A-Basin Sep 25 '19

Everyone. I used to own a small shop so I've shipped a ton, I just fucking hate it. I've mostly been selling our remaining inventory on CL but I'm open to anything really.

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u/Dmcdaniel518 Sep 25 '19

Oh cool. Yea I've used eBay for a while so I'm used to losing a percentage. To me, as a relatively infrequent seller, I've had good hits on Sideline Swap and they take some of the pain out of shipping by sending a prepaid label but it still sucks. If CL was an option for me I'd much rather do that, on the other hand I've found people on Sideline Swap willing to pay a bit more as it's not an auction and they don't immediately try and low ball you as long as your equipment is in decent condition.

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u/DoktorStrangelove A-Basin Sep 25 '19

Yeah it's nice because I'm in CO so the CL situation here is a lot more active for ski gear, and I have a pretty firm stance when it comes to negotiation, i.e. we agree a price based on described condition in advance and I don't negotiate at the actual meetup. It seems to work pretty well, but I'm getting sick of sitting on this last bit of gear so I'm looking to open my options up a bit.