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Permalink Reply by igz on March 4, 2011 at 4:13am

i have gotten awesome deals at REI in the past, but the one here in the city gets raped way too quickly, ya gotta be on top of your game.  the suburban ones may be easier, since the common philosophy out that way is 'ooh, new'. ive gotten a $200 new face jacket for $50.  this winter was its final winter (after 4 years), so im back on the market, and now is the time.

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Permalink Reply by JeffB on March 4, 2011 at 4:21am

it's probably too late for this, but you might get lucky:  I scored a bunch of eddie bauer base layer shirts for $10 each last weekend; the ones that normally go for $60-70.  Check the michigan ave store to see if they have any left.  They were going fast when I was there though

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 4, 2011 at 4:36am

I love the REI garage sales.  It's the only time I go to REI these days if I can help it.  Great deals on returned/blemish items.

 

Other than that I stay away from REI and would rather shop Erehwon or Moosjaw when shopping localaly at outdoor gear stores.  I'm a gear junkie and spend about $3-4k/year on outdoor/adventure gear.  

 

Going to REI is about as helpful as shopping online IMHO -might as well just order from The Goat (Backcountry.com) because if you are going to get internet-level lack of/slow  service/support you might as well get internet prices.   REI isn't 1/10th the company they used to be 5-6 years ago.  Now they are like Walmart or Whole Foods as far as I'm concerned.  Forget about their bike shop.  Those guys have no clue and are the furthest thing from an LBS one can get.  Sure, they have a huge selection but I'd rather deal with one of the many fine local shops rather than deal with those snobs.

 

Another great place to get good deals is Geartrade.com, it's like a cross between Amazon, Ebay, Craigslist, and an REI garage sale.  You can even sell your own used/unwanted gear there.  They have a decent system although their server is really slow and browsing the site can be painfully waity.  Too bad there aren't many bike-specific items but there are plenty of hiking/camping/outdoor gear deals.  The Goat uses Geartrade as their own clearinghouse for returned/damaged items just like REI's garage sale and you can find awesome stuff at 10-15% of retail.  You just have to keep checking it every day as things change very fast.  

 

Amazon has good deals -they have everything.  It's often a good source for gear.

 

Don't forget the deal-a-minute offshoots of The Goat (Backcountry) with Chainlove and Whiskey Militia. Those sites have good deals if you want to continuously watch them as they are sort of like Woot.com.  Things come and go fast -when they are gone they are gone!

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Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on March 4, 2011 at 4:53am

Village Cycle Center and Kozy both tend to have pretty extensive inventories of clothing and whatnot and so they tend to have more clearance sales.  I recently got a pair of shorts and a jersey at VCC for $5 each.

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 4, 2011 at 4:54am

Backcountry.com has a handful of such "deal sites" and you can see them all here.  I was going to just mention the bike-specific ones but it seems there are more of them on that list.  

Cameron Puetz said:

Also www.steepandcheep.com they're more focused on climbing, camping, and skiing gear, but their clothing deals are good for cyclists.

James Baum said:

Don't forget the deal-a-minute offshoots of The Goat (Backcountry) with Chainlove and Whiskey Militia. Those sites have good deals if you want to continuously watch them as they are sort of like Woot.com.  Things come and go fast -when they are gone they are gone!

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