Has your child expressed their interest in baseball and wished to join a Little League team someday? As a parent who wants nothing more than your children realizing their own dreams, there’s no doubt that you want to encourage your kid to join baseball. If your entire family loves the sport, you’ll be even more enthusiastic about supporting your child’s baseball dreams.
However, you don’t have the budget to buy brand-new baseball equipment for your future little league star. So, the alternative is buying used baseball equipment. Used baseball gear is way more affordable and you will save a lot of money, which can be good for your kid who’s just starting out in this sport.
So, what are the best places to buy used youth baseball equipment? Here are a few good suggestions:
A used sports equipment store
Nothing equals visiting a local second-hand sports equipment store because you’ll be able to browse the items, inspect them for any defects, and try them out to see if they still work. For instance, you’re checking out used wood baseball bats for splinters or gloves to see if the strings are still in place and properly tied. And if you’re concerned about the size of some items, like gloves and helmets, you can actually try them out to see if they fit well.
If you have safety concerns as well, you’ll need to do a little more investigating on certain items, like used helmets, for example. They can be somewhat cheaper, but you never know how old they are. As helmets age, their key materials may have deteriorated, which can lead to reduced impact resistance.
And this is where a physical used sports equipment store has the advantage of having actual sales clerks – real people, not customer service bots. You can approach them and ask them questions regarding the items, such as how old they are, how often they were used, and whether they are still safe to use. They will even guide you through the aisles to help you acquire the best used baseball gear for you.
Online stores
But if there’s no used sports equipment shop in or around your area, the alternative is to look for used baseball equipment online. Online shopping only gets even more popular as times pass, with more people contenting themselves with clicking “add to cart” in the comfort of their homes.
The only significant disadvantage of online shopping is that you never get to test the product you’re interested in buying. So, you’ll only need to do your due diligence to ensure that the used baseball equipment is still in good condition and that what you’re getting will be worth your money.
It’s essential to read the product’s specifications and genuine customer reviews to guide your purchasing decisions. You can also chat with the seller (or send them a direct message) and ask them questions regarding the product.
Or, you can also count on websites with an independent guide to buying used baseball equipment.
Here are the four most reliable places online to score some good-quality used baseball equipment:
- eBay – eBay is the popular go-to place for the used items market. But its “one-size-fits-all” approach to second-hand items, in this case used baseball equipment, misses some much-needed item nuances, particularly for amateur sellers and buyers.
- Facebook Marketplace – Facebook uses its billions of users to its advantage by creating a legitimate marketplace for used baseball equipment. You had to go through a lot of items before finding the best product at the best price. But if you are patient and especially connected, you’ll be able to enjoy the best deals.
- Craigslist – Craigslist (and other classified ads) can also be an excellent place to score a bargain. But it can also be the place most likely to get ripped off. Craigslist may be the best place if you want to source your equipment locally, especially if you know what you’re doing and reside in a very populated area.
- SidelineSwap – SidelineSwap was created specifically as the place where athletes can buy and sell their gear, new or used. You can find possibly the best deals here, but what makes SidelineSwap distinct from other online marketplace is its escrow-type service, which is brilliant. On SidelineSwap, when a customer purchases an item, their payments are escrowed, meaning the money is neither in the customer’s nor the seller’s possession. Sellers only get paid once the customer receives the item in the condition promised. SidelineSwap has enjoyed a surge of popularity over the last few years, and its selection of baseball gear is surprisingly well-stocked and varied.