New skis are expensive. Every time you walk into a ski shop, you see skis with price tags of well over a thousand dollars. However, you don’t have to shell out a few grand just to be able to hit the slopes. Buy at the right places, from the right people, and at the right time, and you’ll be able to find the cheap skis you can afford with the quality you need.
Watch for Sales of Cheap Skis
Perhaps one of your local ski shops is offering a special Christmas sale, or great deals on last year’s hot model. Discount skis can be just as high-quality as full-price skis, so don’t be shy about giving them a try. Of course, you still have to be careful about these sales, even at well-established ski shops. Sometimes, a store might offer a “big sale,” declaring skis 30% off, when those same skis are usually sold at a price that’s 40% off their theoretical list price. Do some double-checking online and at competitors stores before you buy a supposed bargain.
The best time to buy cheap skis is always during the off season. Your selection might be more limited in summer than it would be in a well-stocked store when the first snowflakes start to fall, but you’ll be able to find high-quality gear for incredibly low prices.
Buy Used Skis from Sellers with Good a Reputation
The cliché of the untrustworthy used-car salesman exists for a reason: many people buying complicated and expensive equipment just don’t know how to tell when something’s wrong with the thing they’re looking to buy. That makes it all too easy for a seller to rip off an uneducated buyer. This goes for used-ski salesmen too; make sure you know you can trust the person you’re buying from. Many websites have rating systems that you can use to double-check the reliability of the seller, based on others’ experiences of buying from them. In this case, it’s simple: if the seller has a worrying number of negative reviews, just don’t buy from him, even if the price on those cheap skis is mind-bogglingly low.
If you’re buying directly from a company website instead of an individual, look for third-party reviews. See what other buyers have said about the company’s shipping, warranties and quality on ski forums and other websites. Customer testimonials on the company’s site can be nice, but it’s also possible that the company just paid their employees to write them. Similarly, when buying from a retail outlet in person, you can always trust the word of fellow customers the most.
Find more tips on how to improve your skiing skills here
Know what you Want
Whatever you do, make sure you research the type of ski you want and the features that appeal to you before you start shopping. Otherwise, you might buy a pair of skis that you hate just because you thought the price sounded good, or you might buy something way more expensive than you needed because you didn’t realize that a cheaper pair had all the qualities you wanted. Either pair of skis is going to be a waste of money. Go into the store armed with knowledge about what you’re looking to buy, and you won’t waste money or sacrifice quality.
As long as you buy from reliable, honest people, have an eye for opportunities, and take the time to do the research, your next pair of cheap skis might just what you had been looking for.
