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Perils of secondhand shopping for luggage

Posted by (Pennsylvania, USA) on

Well, I just had an eye-opening experience. I'm shopping secondhand market (Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, Poshmark, e-bay etc) for a piece of carry-on luggage. Some sellers take a photo of the outer tag if available, and/or any inner tags.

I was all set to pull the trigger on a bag on FB Marketplace when I noticed the price tag had dimensions for the bag that will not work with Virgin Atlantic's carry-on rules. These dimensions also differed from what the company's website states for current dimensions.

I called Customer Service and they asked me if there was a certain style number on the bag. I gave it to the rep, and she said this was the first generation of this bag--and hadn't been made since 2015.

I went back to ebay, where I've been watching a couple of these bags. Sure enough, the style number was the same.

I'm a little bummed out. Caveat emptor and all that! I never realized there were different versions of this thing floating around.

Oh well...back to the old drawing board.

Posted by
1634 posts

If you live near an REI and are a member you could look at their used gear website, https://www.rei.com/used. I have successfully bought two carry on sized backpacks and a personal item from that site at significant savings. When received the condition of the bags were as listed or better. One of the carry on sized bags was actually new and the other had at most been used once or twice. Plus you can return them if they aren't what you expected.

Posted by
769 posts

Thanks for the link--I will take a look. I'm not a member, and there isn't one near me, so I'll be shopping online.

Posted by
1634 posts

To buy from the used gear site you must be a member. Membership is a one time charge of $30. Another place to look is Sierra.com - that's the online outlet for TJ Maxx, Ross and others. There are good deals there.

Posted by
1293 posts

Re REI membership: I was happy to be reminded recently that the $30 fee is one time only with no annual fees, etc. This was about 10 years after I opened that membership. Not a bad deal for the membership perks. I must admit I am not familiar with the "used" section, but I will check it out. Thanks.

Posted by
5796 posts

For Sierra Trading Post, which has yielded some incredible buys for me, don't think too long, or the item will be gone. This has been my experience. So many times I've ordered travel "stuff", and once received, I wanted to order more, and the items were completely out of stock. And, out of stock not only on Sierra Trading site, but out of stock everywhere on the internet!
To my friends, I describe Sierra Trading as carrying many of the same things REI was selling - last year. That's why when Sierra Trading is out of stock, you can't find it anywhere, and goodness knows, I have tried everywhere for some items.
And- they have a nice return policy.
Mardee, are you going to remind me that you live in the same city as a physical Sierra Trading Post store?
Good luck!

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