Salt Lake City—Six months after launching a proprietary A.I. system building on experiential data from more than 1 million pieces of used gear listed in the company’s 20-year history, Geartrade – the leading independent online resale platform for used outdoor gear and apparel – has seen employee quality of work rise as processing times have plummeted.

Geartrade conceived of the A.I. solution as a way to overcome two significant operational challenges which arose from their rapidly growing consignment program: an “easy button” for both individual and brand resellers which launched in July 2021.

The first hurdle was a steadily increasing backlog of incoming product from used gear resellers, which slowed their ability to evaluate, price and warehouse items in a timely fashion; and the second obstacle was an increasing rate of employee burnout from the high-touch process of product evaluation and posting that was previously the company norm.

Pushed to innovate and solve the problem, Geartrade committed to building a proprietary technological solution and doubled the size of their warehouse in December of that year to support both their new A.I.-supported system as well as their growing inventory.

Inspired by the fall 2022 release of open source A.I. tools[AP1] , Geartrade committed to a technological solution and doubled the size of their warehouse in December of that year to support both their new A.I.-supported system as well as their growing inventory.

“Timing is everything. Our new consignment model was bringing product in way faster than the human resources of Geartrade were able to keep up with, while the company culture and the human element was suffering. We had to evolve and create something that supported both our employees and customers,” said Aaron Provine, president of Geartrade. “The results have been insane. Processing times have crashed, customer experience has improved, and our team is back on track.”

Geartrade’s A.I.-supported tool was constructed to solve for two essential needs: visually identifying every product that is submitted by sellers through the consignment program, and thoroughly researching the item’s key features, benefits, and sales details.

Geartrade strengthened the tool’s accuracy and effectiveness by pairing it with the company’s extensive digital database, which includes information on more than 1 million products listed over the company’s 20-year history.

Since the system launched in January 2023, processing time has dropped 64%, and is projected to drop even more this fall as Geartrade staff continues to gain proficiency.

While there has also been a corresponding impact on the speed of products entering the sales portal, as well as a significant decrease in the processing cost per SKU, the biggest benefit in the decreased processing time is the positive impact on the Geartrade team’s quality of work.

“For some, the big fear of A.I. is that it’s going to get rid of people, but we found that it actually helps them,” said Provine.

ABOUT GEARTRADE: Geartrade is the leading independent online resale platform for outdoor gear and apparel. Winner of a 2023 Outdoor Retailer Innovation Award, Geartrade makes it easy to buy and sell used gear, extends the life cycle of all outdoor products, and minimizes their environmental impact wherever they can. Geartrade sellers include individuals, retailers, and manufacturers; and selling options include both self-listing as well as consignment – which includes free boxes, free shipping, and complete hassle-free posting of all items. For more information or to sell that great old backpack hanging in your garage, please visit www.Geartrade.com.

ABOUT GEARTRADE B2B RESALE PARTNERSHIPS: Geartrade B2B Resale Partnerships are individually designed to support the extended product life goals of a broad spectrum of outdoor industry apparel, equipment and accessory brands. Geartrade services including warehousing, product evaluation, product listing, marketing and fulfillment. For more information on Geartrade B2B Resale Partnerships, please contact [email protected].