The short answer
Loose gear — skis, boards, boots, poles, packs, helmets — prices as a pile rather than per piece. A small junk pile is $82, a medium is $129, a large is $208. Bigger volumes go on the truck ladder: a quarter truck is $241, three-eighths is $338, a half is $431.
Discrete items price individually. A bicycle is $37, a storage cabinet is $74, a weight bench is $69, a treadmill is $115. Minimum visit is $75.
Why Salt Lake garages fill with gear specifically
Living twenty-five minutes from Big and Little Cottonwood changes what a household owns. Nobody in this valley buys one pair of skis. They buy a pair, then a better pair, then a touring setup, then something for the kids, then something for the kids after they outgrew the first thing. The old kit does not get sold because it might still be useful, and it is not in the way because there is a garage.
Then the kids grow up and move to Denver or Boise, and three generations of gear stay behind in the rafters over the garage door. Twelve years later somebody wants to park a second car in there and the whole thing has to come down.
What is actually worth selling
Be honest with yourself about this, because it is the difference between a productive week and a wasted one. Skis and boards more than about eight or ten years old have very little resale value in a market as gear-literate as this one — everybody here knows what is current. Boots are worse; nobody wants used boots that have been packed out to somebody else's foot.
What does move on KSL Classifieds within a week: recent touring setups, current-generation bindings, avalanche safety gear that is still in date, roof boxes, racks, and anything kids-sized in good condition, which sells fast every autumn. Anything else, price it as a pile and stop thinking about it.
What winter does to everything kept outside
The other half of this job is the back yard. Salt Lake winters are hard on anything left uncovered, and the damage is worse than a mild climate produces because of the freeze-thaw cycle: water gets into a seam or a crack, freezes overnight, expands, and does it again the next night for four months.
- Patio furniture with fabric slings or cushions is finished after one uncovered winter. Frames rust at the welds, resin goes brittle and cracks when you move it in spring.
- Grills left out lose the burner assembly and the igniter, and the lid seizes. A propane grill is $71 and a charcoal grill is $59.
- Window AC units left in the frame over winter take snowmelt straight into the coil housing. A small unit is $87 and a large one is $109.
- Above-ground pools left up collapse under snow load on the frame. Frame and liner together is $145.
- Anything cardboard stored in an unheated garage against an exterior wall takes condensation and goes soft.
The spring clearout, priced
| Small Junk Pile | $82 |
| Medium Junk Pile | $129 |
| Large Junk Pile | $208 |
| Bicycle | $37 |
| Patio Table | $89 |
| Patio Chair (each) | $30 |
| Propane Grill | $71 |
| Storage Cabinet | $74 |
| Contractor Bag | $41 |
A standard March clearance in Cottonwood Heights or Sandy: large junk pile of old gear $208 + two bicycles at $37 each ($37 + $37 = $74) + patio table $89 + four patio chairs at $30 each ($30 + $30 + $30 + $30 = $120). $208 + $74 = $282. $282 + $89 = $371. $371 + $120 = $491. Against the ladder, a half truck is $431, so that one books as a half truck.
Time it for spring, not February
The obvious window is the first genuinely warm stretch after the snow leaves the valley floor, usually somewhere in March or April. The garage is accessible, the patio is visible again, and you can see what survived. Autumn works too — clearing in October before the first storms means the new gear has somewhere to live and the old kit is not being shuffled around all winter.
Mid-winter is the one to avoid unless something is urgent. A garage apron under packed snow means the door will not open cleanly, the driveway is ice, and half of what you want to load is frozen to the ground. If you do need us in January, shovel and salt the apron and the driveway first.
What we cannot take from the garage
The chemical shelf stays. Paint, solvents, wax removers, old fuel for the snowblower, propane cylinders, antifreeze, car batteries and pesticides all need the county household hazardous waste route. Board wax and ski tuning chemicals count too. Pull that shelf aside before we come.
Everything else goes: the gear, the racks, the shelving, the broken rack, the bike that has not had a chain since 2019, the patio set, the pool, the bagged garden waste, the roof box that does not fit the current car. One visit, one $75 minimum, one number approved in advance.
Frequently asked questions
How do you price old skis and snowboards?
As a pile rather than per item. A small junk pile is $82, a medium is $129 and a large is $208. Bigger volumes go on the truck ladder starting at $241 for a quarter load.
Is old ski gear worth selling first?
Recent touring setups, current bindings, in-date avalanche gear and kids' sizes sell well here. Skis and boards older than about a decade, and any used boots, generally do not — price those as a pile.
Will you take patio furniture that has been out all winter?
Yes. A patio table is $89 and chairs are $30 each. Rust, cracked resin and ruined cushions make no difference to the price.
When is the best time to book?
The first warm stretch in spring, or October before the storms start. Mid-winter works but you will need the driveway and garage apron cleared and salted first.
Can you take propane tanks and old tuning chemicals?
No. Propane cylinders, solvents, waxes, fuel and similar go to the county household hazardous waste route. Everything else in the garage we take.