Trade-in Program FAQ for Fly Shop Owners & Dealers

No. The program is free. You don’t pay fees or carry any risk on the used gear.

No. Participation is flexible. You can start or stop anytime.

Trade-ins lower the barrier for customers to upgrade, boosting new gear sales. Offering a cross-brand trade-in program also differentiates your shop from direct-to-consumer manufacturer sales.

Yes. The program is fully white-labeled—your shop presents it as your own. Recast Fly Fishing operates in the background.

Yes. Recast Fly Fishing supplies signage, digital assets, and sales training to help you promote your trade-in program.

No. The program is completely white-labeled. You offer trade-ins under your brand, while Recast Fly Fishing handles the backend logistics and risk.

You do. Here's how it works:

1. Customer offers gear for trade-in.
2. Your staff assesses the gear using Recast Fly Fishing’s inspection tool, which provides a payout value—the guaranteed amount Recast Fly Fishing pays your shop.
3. You determine the trade-in value offered to the customer. This can be higher or lower than the payout value, depending on your goals. Recast Fly Fishing never interacts with the customer.

Over 450 models of rods and reels from brands including:

• Abel
• Bauer
• Beulah
• Burkheimer
• G. Loomis
• Galvan
• Hardy
• Hatch
• Lamson
• Nautilus
• Orvis
• Ross
• Sage
• Scott
• Thomas & Thomas
• Tibor
• Winston

Not accepted:

• Custom-made rods (non-factory)
• Bamboo rods
• Rods/reels from Redington, TFO, Echo, White River, Fenwick, Teton, Lamiglas
• Entry-level models from Sage (Foundation, Approach), Orvis (Recon, Clearwater)
• Entry-level reels from Sage, Lamson (Liquid S, Remix), Orvis (Clearwater)
• Rods older than two generations (with exceptions)
• Winston Boron II rods

Recast Fly Fishing provides prepaid shipping labels. Pack and send the gear—shipping is covered.

Payouts are processed within a few business days after gear is received and verified.

Via ACH bank transfer or PayPal.

The valuation tool flags items that are not eligible for payout from Recast Fly Fishing. You decide whether to accept them.

No. Recast Fly Fishing handles all resale and remarketing of eligible gear.

Recast Fly Fishing provides staff training on handling objections. If declined, the customer keeps their gear.

Staff can request a custom valuation—usually provided within 24 hours.

Minimal. The valuation tool is intuitive. Recast Fly Fishing provides quick-start guides and support.

Recast Fly Fishing’s partner support team is available for real-time help.

Yes. Once gear is accepted, your payout is guaranteed and processed quickly.

The valuation tool sets expectations. If Recast Fly Fishing finds a mismatch, they’ll communicate with you. If you reject the adjusted offer, Recast Fly Fishing ships the gear back to you at their expense.

Recast Fly Fishing uses a standardized, bias-resistant pricing model based on real resale data.

No.

For rods, the cosmetic condition ratings are as follows:

Like New

• No nicks or scratches on the rod blank
• No scratches or chipped paint on handle or reel seat
• Completely clean cork with no chips or gouges
• Reel fastener screws and unscrews smoothly
• All guides intact and firmly attached
• Undamaged ferrule connections

Great

• Minor cosmetic damage including scuffing on rod blank, chipped paint or scratches on metal components
• Intact cork with no chips or gouges
• Reel fastener screws and unscrews smoothly
• All guides intact and firmly attached
• Undamaged ferrule connections

Good

• Cosmetic only damage (superficial scratches, scuffs, paint chips) to rod blank, cork, metal components
• Reel fastener screws and unscrews smoothly
• All guides intact and firmly attached
• Undamaged ferrule connections

For reels, the cosmetic condition ratings are as follows:

All reels meet the following conditions:

• Reel winds and unwinds smoothly.
• Drag or click mechanism adjusts easily and exerts expected pressure.
• If swappable, spool detaches and reattaches as designed.
• If the mechanism is unsealed, no rust, staining or moisture inside the mechanism.

Like New

• No nicks, scratches or rubs on any part of the reel, spool, foot or handle.
• Original reel case present and clean.

Great

• Minor superficial marks such as edge rubs that are not easily detectable by touch, and/or do not impact cosmetic appearance of the reel.
• Original or replacement reel case present and clean.
• Any normal wear on reel foot from being attached to a rod.

Good

• Minor superficial marks such as nicks, scratches, edge rubs that are easily detectable by touch, and/or do impact cosmetic appearance of the reel.
• Any normal wear on reel foot from being attached to a rod.

Recast Fly Fishing is a re-commerce company that helps anglers upgrade their equipment while keeping quality gear in use. By partnering with fly shops across the country, Recast Fly Fishing enables seamless trade-ins for rods and reels, offering instant valuations and guaranteed payouts. Shops benefit from increased sales and customer loyalty, while Recast Fly Fishing handles all backend logistics, resale, and risk. The company is committed to sustainability, transparency, and supporting local retailers in the fly fishing community.

Recast Fly Fishing is a Washington State LLC and an active member of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association.

Contact the Recast Fly Fishing partner team at proteam@recastflyfishing.com.