Nearly every piece of my gear was purchased "used," and then primarily on this forum.

I have paid less than 50% and over 90% of retail for various pieces, each with varying reason. I've bought gear and pieces to mod, repackage as kits and broker to those just starting out. I've sacrificed personal color selection to get a usable item immediately before a trip. I've also handed back over gear I loved, but found redundancy with, to other members on the forum for the same PayPal transaction and at the shipping. Doing so has allowed me to accumulate kits on a slightly lower budget, be less hesitant about modifying gear and has guided me to some conversations with people who are now pretty dear resources.

I appreciate your tolerance with the current "free market" system as it has been one of the major values I enjoy here. It's American ecomics at it's best!