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Used Baseball Gloves

Posted: Tuesday, December 25, 2007

by Chico Reese

Used baseball gloves are actually a very good option when considering buying another glove. But a lot depends on what you're really looking for in another glove.

If you're just looking for a secondary one to sometimes use instead of your best, or favorite glove, then you should really consider finding and buying a used baseball glove. Maybe your current glove is nearing the end and you want to use it until it finally "dies" and you just need a backup in case this current one blows apart during a game. Or, you might be older now and you've come across the same glove that you used to use in High School or college and you just couldn't resist buying it...nostalgia. Whatever the reason, a used glove can be a great money saving and time saving option.

However, if you're in the off season and you really want a brand new glove and have the time to start breaking it in, then you might as well go for it and get that new one!

Some of the advantages of buying a used baseball glove:

They can be very low cost...depending on where you find and buy them.
They may be already broken in and can be ready to use immediately.
They are low risk because if you lose them or they break really bad, you haven't really lost a lot of money.

Some of the disadvantages of buying a used baseball glove:

It may not have the same "glamour" for you as a new one. This may not even be an issue for you.
It may not be broken in exactly as your hand may like it. Although you can still play well with it, you may notice it doesn't feel exactly right on your hand.
You may risk lacing breaks if the laces are not in real good shape even though the actual glove leather is in great shape. However, these laces can be replaced right after you buy the glove if you think they'll be a problem.

How do you pick a used baseball glove?

This is pretty easy. Just find one that doesn't have major rips in the leather (not laces). Major rips in the leather are difficult to repair, you will probably need to find a person who can stitch and repair leather. It's best to stay away from gloves with rips and tears in the leather. Also, the eyelets (the little round metal pieces where the laces run through) shouldn't be ripping from the leather or be missing altogether.

Laces, on the other hand, can be replaced. Don't pass up a nice glove if you see that just some of the laces need replaced. You can learn how to do that...it's just a matter of sitting down and doing it.

In short, find a glove that:

Just may need cleaning and conditioning. This is easy. Clean the dirt off and condition the leather. You'll be amazed what the leather looks and feels like even for a glove that looked fairly bad when you found it.
Just may need some leather lacing replaced. Although this may not be easy at first for some people, once you get the hang of relacing a glove by yourself this is no longer a problem. In fact, you might find yourself a real gem once some relacing and tightening has been done...basically a little baseball glove repair.

Where do you find used baseball gloves?

There are many different places and ways to find them, but here are my top three:

Used Sporting Goods Stores

You may have some local used sporting goods stores near you. If you check these places out from time to time you can find some pretty good used gloves at reasonable prices. Even ones that the store doesn't consider to be that good are actually pretty nice once some cleaning, conditioning and any needed repairs are done.

Ebay

You can find a wide variety of used gloves on Ebay. The pictures that people take for their sales pages are very good and you can see what kind you're getting and it's general condition. The drawback is, like always with Ebay, is the shipping charges. You have to consider this when you find a glove on Ebay.

Yard Sales

Yard sales may be the best places to find and buy used baseball gloves. This is because in general, you can get really good prices at yard sales and there are no extravagant shipping charges to pay.

So, if you are considering finding and buying another baseball glove, just remember that a used glove can look pretty bad at first, but with a little cleaning, conditioning and some repair if necessary, you can have yourself a great baseball glove that looks good, feels good and is already broken in. And the best part? It won't cost that much money at all.

Chico Reese has been closely involved in youth baseball, softball and High School Baseball over the last twelve years. Over those years he's seen a lot of baseball players, teams, coaches and parents and likes to share some thoughts and experiences on these subjects for encouragement and a little humor at times.

He also is known as "The Doctor" for his quick baseball glove repairs and restorations for many kids and adults throughout the summer. For an informative source on how to repair, relace and restore your baseball glove, check out:

BaseballGloveRestore.com

http://www.baseballgloverestore.com/

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