REI Teams Up With Yerdle To Sell Used Products Online
Recreational Equipment, Inc. has been reselling their products at cheaper prices during garage sale events in their store. To reach more people, the company has teamed up with Yerdle, who specializes in reselling with brands in the secondary market.
Updated May 26 2019, 1:58 p.m. ET
Frequent shoppers at Recreational Equipment, Inc -- better known by its acronym, REI -- know about their garage sale events. Only members are able to get into this event in most locations, and when they do, they’re greeted to enormous savings on pre-owned outdoor clothes and gear. The “garage sales” have been limited to the brick-and-mortar stores themselves, but now they’ll be expanding thanks to a new partnership with Yerdle.
Yerdle has been around for awhile now, and they used to have a fairly simple program to use. People could download their app on their Android or iOS device and sell their old stuff online. Unlike eBay and similar auction outlets, sellers aren’t charged a fee when a purchase is made. The buyer ends up paying the shipping and the seller receives credit on the app.
The theory behind it is the more you sell, the more you can buy through Yerdle. However, criticism was made through the use of its credits and how “free” it really was. The app never really took off, leading to the company rebranding itself as Yerdle Recommerce. It now focuses on connecting with brands to resell their products.
By using Yerdle, brands can now enter into the secondary market and can make profits from reselling. They can also offer a better price for potential customers that aren’t able to afford things at normal retail. REI, who specializes in outdoor gear and apparel, already had the idea of reselling their used products to consumers, but that will change slightly after joining up with Yerdle last week.
Products that were given back to REI were limited to the brick-and-mortar store they were returned at. This creates the obvious issue of a product not fitting anyone’s needs in that particular area, but could be used elsewhere by other customers at a different location. Now, select products will be put up for sale in the new used portion of REI’s website.
While it looks like garage sales will still be happening -- there’s one coming up at select stores on Saturday, October 21st -- the used store opened up as of last Friday online. Unlike the garage sales you don’t have to be a member to buy used goods. Products available on the website include men’s and women’s clothing and footwear and gear.
For people that don’t live next to an REI location, this also helps the brand expand their product name. With people giving back their used products, they’re able to still churn a profit instead of losing it to an auction site. Their customers also don’t have to worry about transactions that go awry as every used product demands 100 percent satisfaction.
