Selling used skis before winter to kit out a kid who keeps growing

Paolo is 44, lives in Treviso, and in winter, whenever he can, he loads up the car and takes the family skiing in the Dolomites, an hour and a half from home. Every year around mid October the same thing happens. He goes down to the garage, pulls the ski bag off the shelf and realises that Tommaso, his ten year old, has grown again. This year the boots wouldn't go on even with thin socks, and the skis barely came up to his chin. Next to them was Paolo's old pair, replaced two winters ago and never touched since. Instead of buying everything new, he decided to sell used skis and boots the family no longer needed, and use the money to kit Tommaso out again, second hand as well.

Paolo is a made up example, but plenty of skiing families will recognise the situation. Kids change size almost every season, and gear left in the garage loses value one winter after another. On Lendmates you can sell anywhere in Italy and buy from someone at the other end of the country, all from the same account.

The best time to sell used skis

The sweet spot runs from October to the end of November. Families are sorting out their gear, shops are showing new season prices and buyers still have time to get the bindings adjusted before their first trip. You can still sell in January, but people are in a hurry by then and many have already sorted themselves out. By March nobody wants to hear about snow anymore, and listings sit there until the following autumn. This time Paolo listed everything in the first week of October.

How much used skis and boots are worth

With skis, what matters is age, the state of the bases and edges, and the bindings. A five or six year old pair that has been looked after sells without much trouble. Kids' gear is simpler. It gets used for one or two seasons and then it's too small, so it's often almost like new.

Here is what this gear usually sells for in good condition. These are estimates, and a recent model that has seen little use can be worth more.

Paolo listed his own skis, a pair of 165 cm carving skis with bindings, at €170. Tommaso's 120 cm skis went up at €70 and the junior boots at €40. He made three separate listings, because someone looking for kids' skis doesn't always need boots in that exact size too.

Photos and the listing

One Saturday afternoon Paolo leaned the skis against the garage wall, with light coming in through the open door, and took the photos on his phone. The skis from the front, the full length of the base, a close up of the edges and the bindings with the adjustment scale clearly visible. For the boots he shot the soles, the buckles and the inside of the liner, and wrote the mondopoint size, which is the first thing buyers look for.

He uploaded the photos to Lendmates and the listing practically filled itself in. He checked it, added the year he bought them and how many seasons they'd done, then published. Three listings took him less than half an hour, including the time spent looking for the tape measure. If you've never sold anything online, our guide on how to sell used items online walks you through it, from photos to payment.

Questions in the chat and protected payment

The first questions came in through the chat that same evening. A mum in Turin wanted to know how much Tommaso weighed when he used those skis, and a man in Florence asked whether the edges had ever been reground. Paolo answered everyone in the app's chat, without handing out his phone number, and sent an extra photo when it helped.

The man in Florence ended up buying Paolo's skis for €160 after a bit of haggling. Tommaso's skis and boots went to the mum in Turin, who decided to take both for €105. In each case the buyer paid in the app, and Paolo would get the money once the purchase went through. He knew the people on the other side were verified, and they knew the same about him. For someone who had never sold anything to strangers, that made a real difference.

How to ship skis and boots without damaging them

The part Paolo worried about most was the parcel. Skis are long and their edges are sharp enough to cut through cardboard and scratch the base of the other ski. He asked the sports shop in town for two ski boxes, since they always have a few to throw away at the start of the season, and got everything ready in the garage. For each pair he did the following:

• strapped the skis together with a sheet of cardboard between the bases
• wrapped the tips and bindings in bubble wrap, since they take the most knocks
• covered the edges with masking tape so they wouldn't cut the box
• filled the empty space with newspaper until nothing moved when he shook the parcel

Tommaso's boots travelled in a separate box, buckles closed and some paper inside the liners to keep their shape. The courier picked the parcels up from his house two days later.

Three days later the mum in Turin wrote to say everything had arrived fine and confirmed the purchase. Soon after, the man in Florence confirmed too, and both of them mentioned the packing in their reviews.

Buying used skis and boots for a child

With €265 set aside, Paolo started looking for Tommaso's new gear. He needed skis of around 130 cm and boots two sizes up, with a little room to grow but not too much, because a loose boot makes you ski badly and gives you cold feet. On Lendmates he found an almost new pair of junior skis from a dad in Bolzano for €85, and boots in the right size from a young woman in Sondrio for €55, worn for a single season by her little sister.

Before buying, he asked in the chat the questions anyone buying used skis should ask. He wanted a photo of the base to check for holes or deep scratches, the binding scale, and the sole length of the boots, which is what the shop needs to adjust the bindings. He paid in the app, and within a week everything was in the garage. He checked it all matched the photos, confirmed the purchases and left two reviews.

If it's your first time buying second hand from someone you don't know, we've put together some tips on how to buy second hand online safely.

How it turned out

Paolo spent €140 on Tommaso's gear and had €125 left. Part of it went on getting the bindings adjusted at the shop, the rest on a new helmet, because a helmet is the one thing he always buys new. The garage now holds only what the family actually uses.

When Paolo's sister came to stay for a weekend and wanted to go snowshoeing, she didn't buy snowshoes for a single outing. She rented a pair from a young woman ten minutes away, and the deposit came back to her when she returned them. If you have something you can't decide whether to sell or keep and rent out now and then, we wrote a guide on how to choose between selling and renting out.

Frequently asked questions

How much are used skis worth?

It depends on age, condition and bindings. A pair of piste skis that has done four or five seasons, with bases and edges in good shape, usually sells for between €120 and €200. Very old skis are worth little, especially if the bindings are outdated.

When is the best time to sell used skis?

In autumn, between October and November, when families are getting ready for the season and there is still time to have the bindings adjusted. Demand drops a lot at the end of winter.

How do you ship skis?

In a ski box, with the skis strapped together and cardboard between the bases, tips and bindings wrapped in bubble wrap and the edges covered with masking tape. Fill the gaps until nothing moves inside.

Do the bindings on used skis need adjusting?

Yes, always. The setting depends on the skier's weight, height, ability and boot sole length, so anyone buying used skis should have them checked at a shop before hitting the slopes.

Illustrative story. People and figures are fictional, but they reflect a typical way to use Lendmates.

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