Whether it’s baseball gear, fishing equipment, or hunting supplies… sporting goods will cost you money. Here’s how you can get the most bang for your buck:

1. Buy It Online

A lot of times, you can get better prices when you buy online. Traditional sporting goods stores have to pay for their physical store, their employees, and upkeep… in  turn, they have to make up that overhead by inflating the prices. You’ll be surprised how much cheaper some things are when you get them over the web.

2. Buy It Off-Season

Online or offline, it’s almost always cheaper to buy off-season. For example, buy your hockey equipment in the summer, and your golf gear in the winter. Often times, stores will heavily discount things which are not in-season. I have used this technique to save anywhere from 40 to 70% on my purchases. Just plan for the year ahead; you will be able to buy more with less money.

3. Use Credit Card Rebates

Credit cards can help you out in two different ways. First of all, if you have any rewards raked up, you can cash them in for gift cards. Many banks, like Discover credit cards, allow you to turn your points into gift cards for Cabelas, Foot Locker, and Sports Authority. The Discover More card even takes it a step further; they will increase the value of your reward certificate, depending on the store you choose. In addition, many of these stores have their own credit card (like the Cabelas Visa) which is another way you can earn rewards. 

4. Look For Blemished Items

Many stores will discount an item if it has a blemish or cosmetic defect. For example, I have seen camping and hunting gear for half off, simply because of a tiny tear in the fabric which could be easily repaired. You don’t need to be fashionable while participating in sports, so don’t worry about a small blemish on an article of clothing as long as it doesn’t affect its use. This is an excellent way to snag the pricier stuff, yet still pay less money for it.

5. Ask For Price Matching

Sometimes, stores will match a competitors price and even beat it. In fact, Cabelas has a very generous policy; they will beat any competitors price and if they can’t, you’ll get a $500 Cabelas card. However, not every store does this, and often times they will not match online deals. So check with the store first to find out exactly what their policy is. Then check and see if you can find it at a lower price elsewhere. If you can, take that price and go into Cabelas (or any store that does price matching) and ask them to beat it.