We're sure you're familiar with the concept of trade-in, but on the off chance you've spent your entire life living out of a remote mountain hut, here's what you need to know.

You've probably come across trade-ins before whilst buying a new car: You get to get rid of your old car, get a discount off a new one, without the hassle of selling it privately.

Our system works pretty much the same way: You get a hassle-free way to get rid of your old snowboard, get money off a new snowboard, without having to go to the effort of listing it on auction websites.

Ready to trade in your snowboard? Fill in the form here

What info are you looking for?

Details of the trade in process

What would be accepted for trade-in?

What damage would make a board unacceptable?

What if I disagree with your price?

"Thanks guys - board has arrived safe and sound - everything looks great. Impeccable service from you as it should be. Will definitely recommend to friends."

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We believe it's hassle-free. Look at all the stuff you'll NOT have to do

(If you were to sell your old board on an auction website)

• Write a description of your snowboard to entice a buyer. 20 mins

• Take pictures of your snowboard, upload them to your computer, and put them onto an advert. 15 mins

• Find a suitable box to package your board in to make sure it arrives without damage. 1 day (Where are you gonna get a snowboard box from?)

• Service your board before you sell to try and get the best price, not knowing whether you'll get more money than the service actually cost. 2 days

• Wait 5-7 days for the auction to complete (with no guarantee of sale) then a further 3 or 4 days for the payment to clear and actually make it into your bank account. Only THEN can you buy a new board. Up to 14 days

• Risk opening yourself up to the many scams and dishonest traders found on auction sites. 

That's a total of 408 hours and 35 minutes extra on the slopes if you trade in your board with ReRide!

So, what will I have to do?

• Fill in the trade-in form, which gives details about the condition of the snowboard you want to trade-in.

• You'll get a discount code via email for the amount agreed.

• Use the discount code we send you to purchase your new snowboard.

• We'll then send you a bag (if requested) to post your snowboard to us in.

• If you'd prefer, we can organise the courier to pick up your board from your chosen address. This is generally a cheaper option than arranging the courier yourself. We will typically charge £12.99 for this service.

• Once we get it, we'll make sure it's as you described, then send out your new snowboard to you.

• Go ride your new snowboard.

Ready to trade in your snowboard? Fill in the form here

For more details on exactly what happens at each stage, read on. Alternatively, start shopping for a new snowboard!

Exactly how does trade-in work?

Okay, so you've chosen your new snowboard from our shop and you want to trade in your old board, what's next?

1. The Form 

You need to fill in the Trade-In form here This gives us all the info we need to tell you what your old snowboard is worth (or whether we'll accept it at all) based on the model, age and condition. There's also the option to send us a picture of your board. The form also tells us where we'll send the bag for you to put your old snowboard in and send to us. Be as accurate as you can with your description. If we receive a board that's wildly different from your description, then we'll either not accept it and send it back to you, or give you a different price - see below.

2. Payment

So once the form's been filled out, we'll email you a discount code. You can use this on any snowboard in our store, and it's valid for 30 days from the date of issue. You cannot use it on JUST a pair of bindings or other product, there must be a snowboard in your basket when you checkout.

3. Send us your board

If you request it, you'll receive a snowboard bag in the post (the bag is optional, if you have another means of sending your snowboard). Put your old snowboard in it and send it back to us (We'll send you an address label along with it so you don't have to copy it down).

If you have a box or a bag of your own that you can send us the trade-in board in then that'd be great. You'll get it back, since we'll use it to ship your new board to you, saving a few trees.

If you'd prefer, we can organise the courier to pick up from your chosen address at a typical cost of £12.99.

Once received, (and we've verified the board is the same make, model, year and condition that you specified in the trade-in form) we'll send you your new snowboard.

What if I disagree with your price?

If you disagree with the initial price (based on the form you filled in), then nothing will happen. Just don't use the discount code. (Of course, if you do use the code, we'll just refund your money if you don't send your old snowboard to us - but don't do that, it's just extra hassle for both of us)

If you use the discount code and send us your board but then when we actually see the board, it's not as expected in terms of condition, age, model or make; (because what you wrote on the trade-in form was inaccurate) then you have two options: 

1. You can opt to get your snowboard shipped back to you. We will then refund the money you paid, minus the cost of shipping.

2. We can offer you a new price. You can then pay the difference and the trade-in will continue as normal.

We want to be as flexible as possible, but then again we need to protect ourselves from people trying to scam us. The bottom line is, be honest about the condition of your board, it makes it easier for everyone.

Is my board okay to trade in?

To give you an idea of what's okay and what's not BEFORE you trade-in your snowboard, we've put together a small guide.

If we've missed something, or you have a specific question then email us: info@reride.co.uk or fill in our contact form here

Age of your board.

Anything older than five years and you had better have looked after it like you would care for your own child, if we are going to accept it. 

If it's newer than this then things are looking up, but it's no guarantee. We make our decision on a board-to-board basis. For example, if you have 3 year old Burton Custom that you've looked after well with little damage, we're more likely to accept that (and give you more money off your new board) over a last year's brand-that-no-one's-heard-of.

Stuff we don't mind

(Even though we don't mind this stuff, you'll get more money off if your board is pristine)

Scratches.

All boards get scratches as they're ridden. Rocks, rails, boxes and anything else non-snowy that you ride over will scratch your board. It happens, we get it. We don't mind a few scratches on a trade-in snowboard. If it looks as though you've been riding over cheese graters, tell us on the trade-in form - we prefer this than receiving a surprise when we actually see your board.

White, dry bases.

After you've had your snowboard a while (and you don't wax it), the base will dry out and turn white in places. This is no problem for us, we don't mind a trade-in with a white, dry base. 

Blunt edges.

So there's a few things with edges: First there's those of you whose pants never go above the knee, who have blunted their edges so they don't catch on boxes and rails in the park. This we don't mind at all. 

Then there's the snowboards which have lacked love and attention over the seasons and have been ridden hard, but never sharpened. This too, should be fine. (Edge damage may be a different story though - more on that later). 

Finally there's those who are more at home on perfect groomed runs carving hard, flying past skiers, who maybe sharpen their edges on a daily basis. If you've done this, then chances are you have very little edge left - if it's less than 1mm, we're not really interested.

Most people should come somewhere in-between these groups and therefore be absolutely fine to trade in. Oh, and a bit of rust on your edges is completely okay with us.

Rust: Not a problem for ReRide - we could have this chain looking like new in no time.

Image Source: FreeFoto

Chipped Topsheets.

Often the top of your board will take a little abuse too. We understand that they get thrown down in a pile outside the bar, and people like to ski over them while in the lift queue. A few chips and scratches on your top sheet are acceptable. On the other hand, if you have sections of topsheet missing or the top sheet is peeling away, then it's probably not going to happen.

A skier did this. If this was all the damage you had, we'd accept it

Damaged edges

We will usually accept a snowboard with a few scratches on the metal edges. If you have chunks of edge missing, or really deep gouges in your edges, it's less likely that we'll accept it. 

'tis but a flesh wound. 

Stuff that means your board probably won't be accepted for trade-in

Snapped Edges

If your edge has actually snapped, or a section of edge is missing, then it's a no from us.

Bent edges

If your edge is still intact, but bent from an impact, then we probably won't accept it. If it's so bent that there's a clear gap between the base and the edge then it's definitely not for us. On the other hand, if the damage is on a non-vital part of the edge (the ends of the board, for example) and it's not too major, then we should accept it for trade-in.

Snapped cores

Seriously? Okay, if the core of your board has snapped - no matter how much it "doesn't affect the ride" - then we won't accept it.

Not what's meant by the term 'splitboard'

Other damage.

Including but not limited to: 

Melted bases from over-zealous use of a waxing iron

Boards that had such a large hole in the base that they had to be repaired with a glued-on patch instead of p-tex. 

Anything that's customised in a weird way - like holes being drilled through the board, extra stuff that's been welded/glued on somewhere. Splitboards are fine though!

Finally, just because we didn't mention it here doesn't mean you can then say "You have to accept it, you didn't SAY that it wasn't acceptable in the guide". We're sure you can come up with creative ways of damaging your snowboard that we didn't mention here. Oh, and we can refuse to take any board if we want to. If you follow the guidelines above, chances are it'll be fine.

This is just a guide, common sense is probably your most useful tool.