A New Option in Used Hunting Gear for Sale
So, what if there were an eBay devoted exclusively to used hunting gear for sale?
That’s the question Stuart Whitaker and Tommy Hixon asked themselves before starting The Hunting Exchange, an all things hunting online marketplace for hunters nationwide.
The Hunting Exchange site has an easy to use interface.
Whitaker and Hixon brought on Scott Jones this year to expand their “no-hassle one-stop” site where hunters can buy and sell hunting gear without the issues sometimes found on non-hunting websites for equipment like knives, bows, arrows and other gear that could be perceived as a “weapon” (firearm and ammo sales are excluded from the site currently due to licensing challenges and insurance costs, but might be included in the future, according to Jones).
Both founders are avid hunters, Whitaker and Hixon for turkeys, waterfowl, and deer in Mississippi, and Jones for ducks, squirrels, and turkeys in Mississippi, Georgia, and other locales throughout the southeast.
“The concept is to provide a site where hunters don’t have to wade through millions of items that don’t suit their pursuits to get good deals on new and used hunting equipment,” Jones said. “And you don’t have to meet down at the sketchy corner gas station to transfer and carry out the deal like with Craig’s List.”
Just as importantly, listing hunting accessories online or “blood sport” items won’t get your listing taken down or put your name on some sort of blacklist that follows you around the Internet for years as is the case with most of the big-tech company online exchanges out there.
In addition, Jones said that the “pay-on-receipt” system assures that buyers get their hunting goods promptly, as described, and sellers get paid promptly and with no hassle.
“We use PayPal exclusively for sales transactions, and that protects your personal information and your money since PayPal will insure every dollar you spend in the off chance that a purchase goes awry.
A PayPal account is not required to purchase the used hunting stuff for sale. It’s only required to sell,” Whitaker said. All sales occur through a seller’s Verified PayPal account. Although buyers do not need to have a PayPal account in order to make a payment, PayPal buyer protections are only available if the buyer pays via PayPal.
Snagging a tree stand for cheap is a possibility on The Hunting Exchange site.
“Sellers are expected to ship within three business days of receiving payment, via a method that includes a tracking number,” Whitaker said. “That way, there’s no question over whether it was actually shipped.” Sellers receive payment from buyers for their sold listings directly from PayPal, net of the fee to Hunting Exchange.
Jones noted that the fees for the Hunting Exchange are half that of eBay’s, at just 5 percent (with a $2 minimum), so sellers keep more of their profits.
Categories of hunting gear for sale include bows, treestands, blinds, optics, footwear, clothing, decoys, calls and other gear. Sellers classify their gear as “New”, “Great” “Good” or “Fair” condition, and include photos of the product.
“You can list as many items as you want at no cost,” Scott said. “You only pay The Hunting Exchange when the item has sold, then we deduct our fee from the total price, which is shown on your listing page for transparency and calculating the net dollars you’ll get as a seller.”
When a buyer makes a purchase, they’ll receive contact information on the seller so that any issues can be worked out directly. The Hunting Exchange provides the buyer with a notification when a product ships.
The site also uses a seller rating system for accountability, so that prospective buyers can see their record of dealing with customers, just as with eBay. The seller is also asked to include the shipping cost in the listing, so that the buyer gets no surprises when checking out.
You can turn your old hunting gear into cash.
Some of the recent hunting gear for sale included a Hoyt Pro Defender bow with an SKB case for $1,200 and a PSE Stinger Extreme fully set up for hunting, with arrows and case, for $740.
“Hunting gear and supplies sales total as high as $15 billion annually in the U.S. and there are 15 million people who hunt, so this is a huge market. Most avid hunters are constantly upgrading their equipment. Some of us buy a new turkey call every other season or we get a new turkey gun and three different chokes to try, knowing only one will work, leaving two $60 pieces of metal that you have no use for.
A service for buying and selling hunting gear is a win win for everyone involved. Whether you’re looking to make some extra cash on old gear or pick up some nice items for cheap.
The Hunting Exchange gives those folks an outlet to turn all their old gear into cash,” Jones said. “We have a ton of bow hunting equipment for sale on the site right now—bowhunters love gadgets, and they’re always experimenting and swapping out the latest and greatest, so there’s a steady flow of that equipment to the site, especially after our recent sponsorship of the guys over at the Southern Outdoorsmen, which has been great.”
The Hunting Exchange also has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HuntingExch and is on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hunting_exchange_official/. The app is available at Apple’s App Store and on Google Play.
