Determining value of gear to sell on ebay.

I would take it to Gear Trade, or Craigslist, before I would do Ebay. Neither one will charge you to advertise and you have a higher likelihood of reaching someone who knows what it is you are selling. The buy and sell forum at Backpacking Light's website is another great place to post.

I would find a price point based on the condition of the gear. You can look around at pricing for similar items and base it off that, or just go with something you might expect to pay. For example, if I had a next to new Big Agnes tent, with all pieces including stuff sacks, I might check retail pricing at REI and Moosejaw and Campmor, and price it maybe 20-50 below retail. If there's something missing, tiny patched holes, or any obvious wear and tear, I'd drop the price even more.

You can occasionally find something like a ten year old Western Mountaineering bag for 2/3 cost -- gear like that well cared for can be worth some money. Most gear, though, is kind of a dime a dozen -- and a ten year old tent stands a good chance of not selling at all, because there are lighter tents now. Plus, since I've been there, done that, like so many other longtime backpackers, I'd be suspicious of the status of the PU coating, which tends to degrade a lot over time and cannot be redone.

If you want to post what you have for sale and ask us what we think you should price it at, sure go ahead.

See if your area has a used gear shop. Bozeman has one called 2nd Wind that takes gear on consignment and sets a fair price.

For good, brand name gear you can expect to sell it at no less than about a 30-40% discount off of MSRP if it's used but in excellent condition. If the items are on sale somewhere, they'll find that price and expect a big discount from that too. Remember, people who are using eBay are good at finding the best prices, they are not shy about shopping around.

Off brand gear, you'll probably never move on eBay. Craigslist would be a much better bet.

These are some of the questions I had to address when I sold a tent on Craigslist: have you ever smoked in the tent?, have you ever cooked in the tent?, has a pet ever slept in the tent?, are there stains on the tent?, will you set up the the tent for me to evaluate?, will you take $X (approximately 30%) less for the tent if it is in perfect condition?, and will you meet me 50 miles from your home to show the tent to me? Several years ago I sold a perfectly good Mountain Hardwear Skyview tent this way. Took about a month in our area, the buyer was looking for exactly what I had. A used sleeping bag will surely be much harder to sell than a tent (see the thread on bad habits). I donate those to the homeless and remain hopeful of good karma.

Ultralight gear on BPL's Gear Swap tends to sell for much higher percentage of retail. Even a really well-used but in good condition shelter under 2 lbs will sell for what seems to be about 70-80% of retail. Heck, a Bearikade carbon fiber bear canister all scratched up can sell for what you paid for it or sometimes even a little more as the demand is so high and the manufacturer keeps jacking up the retail price.

But other gear may not sell for these kinds of premiums. Even if you paid a boatload for an item, it may not hold that kind of value for others if they feel it is comparable to other items at a lower price. And higher-priced items in general can take longer and/or a deeper discount to move, simply because the market for people at that price point is limited.

I'm not familiar with the MH EV3, but looking it up it's a single-walled expedition tent that retails for about $850, that's a specialty items so finding a potential buyer at any price will be your biggest challenge.

Franco's price history should be helpful. Another strategy I have seen some people take in selling used gear is to list it for their desired highest price and then start lowering it every day or two if nobody bites.

Yep, that's a really specific kind of tent. Mountaineers are a minority of all backpackers. Your average backpacker likely has no interest because it's too expensive.

Try Craigslist and Backpacking Light. There are mountaineers on Backpacking Light, I've met a couple of them. You might also check around for expedition guiding outfits online, and see if any of them want to pick up a slightly used tent for their gear locker.