Where to Buy Used Lacrosse Gear

The best places to buy used lacrosse gear and sticks, what each piece usually saves you, which gear is worth buying used and which you should always buy new.

Anson Decker · Equipment · Updated October 23, 2026 · 10 min read

The quick answer

Buy usedShafts, heads, sticks, helmets

Sideline Swap, Play It Again Sports and eBay are the go-to spots. Shafts and helmets usually save you the most.

Buy newCleats, gloves, old pads

Never buy used cleats, and skip any shoulder pads or helmets that don't meet the current NOCSAE standard.

It's no secret that lacrosse is an expensive sport, especially when you're just starting out. From cleats to a helmet and every pad in between, not to mention your stick, the total price tag can be daunting.

One way to cut costs is buying gear on the second-hand market. With the constant turnover of the "latest" lacrosse tech and style, used gear isn't that far behind each year's new releases anymore.

This guide covers where to buy used lacrosse gear and what to think about before you pull the trigger on a second-hand item. We'll also run down the best and worst gear to buy used (and the gear you should splurge on new).

Coach's note: Half the kids I've coached, from upstate New York to Virginia Beach, started out in a hand-me-down helmet and a big brother's gloves, and in Ontario box there's a whole economy of traded pads at the rink. Used gear is how a lot of us got into the game. Just be smart about it: protective gear has to be certified, and nobody should be wearing someone else's cleats.

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Where to buy used lacrosse gear and sticks

There are some great retailers and marketplaces for used gear, both online and in brick-and-mortar shops. Here's a rundown of the second-hand spots to check out.

1) Sideline Swap

Imagine Facebook Marketplace, but only for athletic gear. That's Sideline Swap.

It has a similar peer-to-peer setup, with a bit more curation for your peace of mind.

The site acts as the middleman between sellers and buyers and puts extra weight on buyer feedback to verify how responsive and honest sellers are. It also shows you a comparable retail price (when available), which is really helpful when you're weighing used versus new.

Prices vary, since sellers set them. Inventory varies too, so if you have your eye on a specific older head or shaft, there's no guarantee they'll have it.

Pro tip: check Sideline Swap early in the new year (around the end of January) to catch year-old gear from club and college players. Players who don't want to haul around three years' worth of helmets or pads tend to sell last season's gear around when the new team gear comes out.

All in all, Sideline Swap is a great second-hand resource with a much bigger selection than your local used sports store.

2) Play It Again Sports

Next up, a longtime staple of the used sporting goods world: Play It Again Sports.

Play It Again has a surprisingly solid collection of lacrosse gear across its stores, pulled together on its website.

Its biggest asset is its track record. It's been in the business a long time and has stuck around because it pays attention to the quality of the gear it accepts and resells.

The main knock is the individual stores. If you want to go in, try gear on and see it in person, inventory isn't very deep, or might not exist, depending on where you live. If you're in a lacrosse desert, you may struggle to find gear in person.

The online inventory is also based only on what individual stores have, so you don't get as free or consistent a flow of products as elsewhere, which can be good and bad.

Still, Play It Again Sports is a trustworthy name, and its website has brought its reach into the twenty-first century.

3) eBay

Last but not least, eBay, which has the reach of Sideline Swap and the familiarity of Play It Again all in one place.

As much as we think of eBay for trading cards and limited releases, it's also a solid clearinghouse for used lax gear. The auction setup can get buyers the best possible price, and the inventory is worldwide.

The knock on eBay is that it doesn't have the curation of Sideline Swap or Play It Again, which leaves you open to buying subpar or straight-up falling-apart gear. That risk makes it more of a second or third option for most people, but it's still a solid way to shave a few bucks off a sought-after item.

Or shop new drops at Battle Lax

Used lacrosse gear by type

It wouldn't be a LaxDrip article without a rundown of the gear itself. So follow us down the rabbit hole as we cover the deals you can likely find on each type of gear. Search for each one on the sites above, and if you'd rather buy new, we've linked a budget pick at BattleLax.

Lacrosse sticks

When it comes to complete sticks, buying used isn't the worst idea for players who want to dabble in the sport and get their feet wet. Used complete sticks aren't limited to old aluminum shafts either. There are some premium pairings out there that save up to $90 off the original retail price of the pieces together.

Rather buy new? Warrior EVO Complete Stick 2026 ($109.99) at BattleLax.

Lacrosse heads

Heads are something a lot of players like to swap out every year or season, if they can, to keep up with the latest head tech. The savings on heads are pretty limited compared to retail, and a lightly used, personally strung head can even cost more.

Rather buy new? Warrior Evo V Head ($99.99) at BattleLax.

Lacrosse shafts

Shafts are probably one of the better-quality items you can find used, since many players trade in last season's handle for the newest version of their favorite line. You should be able to save anywhere from $20 to $60 off retail on a used shaft.

Rather buy new? Maverik A7 175 Attack Shaft ($99.99) at BattleLax.

Lacrosse helmets

Unlike shafts and heads, helmets tend to stick around longer in a player's bag, which means fewer options to choose from. But used helmets can come with deep price cuts, sometimes $100 or more off retail, on what's easily one of the three most expensive pieces of gear you'll buy.

Rather buy new? Cascade CPV-R Helmet ($175.00) at BattleLax.

Lacrosse gloves

Gloves are another interesting used option and one of the more popular pieces to find second-hand, thanks to the constant turnover from team to team and year to year. Used gloves can be marked down a lot, sometimes $90 or more off retail.

Rather buy new? Maverik M6 Player Glove ($115.99) at BattleLax.

Lacrosse arm pads

Like gloves, though maybe not at the same volume, arm pads turn over from season to season as teams and players upgrade. Used arm pads usually save you anywhere from $5 to $30 off retail.

Rather buy new? Warrior Evo Pro Elbow Pads ($49.99) at BattleLax.

Lacrosse shoulder pads

Shoulder pads can be another big price tag when you're first getting into the sport, so don't sleep on the used market. Markdowns usually land around 40% off current retail, with some cuts of $40 or more.

Rather buy new? Maverik Charger Shoulder Pad 2026 ($74.99) at BattleLax.

Lacrosse goalie chest protectors

We haven't forgotten about you, goalies, and that sometimes awkward but always expensive chest protector. Discounts on top-tier protectors aren't as deep on the used market (probably because there are fewer of them), but the usual $30 off retail, and up to $100 off some older models, can make the purchase more doable.

Rather buy new? Maverik MX EKG Goalie Chest Pad 2026 ($99.99) at BattleLax.

Lacrosse accessories and other gear

Accessories range from equipment bags to training aids, and the used market is a solid way to save a few bucks on items where durability and quality aren't as critical. Bags see the biggest cuts, around 50% off retail in some cases, while smaller items save you a few bucks.

Rather buy new? Maverik Monster Bag ($54.99) at BattleLax.

Good and bad lacrosse gear to buy used

Before you buy used gear, there are some things to think about, good and bad.

Good lacrosse gear to buy used

Helmets. They're a great used buy if you need one, given the price cuts from retail. The quality of older models is still top-notch, and you can replace and reinforce interior parts to bring a dome piece up to current specs. Just make sure it's still NOCSAE certified (see the bad list below).
Shafts. These are great because you can spot imperfections or problems on a shaft pretty easily, and you save a boatload off retail. Some players' habit of switching spoons every year is gold for the used market, since plenty of shafts with plenty of life left get unloaded to deal-conscious buyers.
Heads. Like shafts, problems are usually visible, so you can judge a used head's quality before you hit the field. Heads are another big cost when you're getting into the sport, so an older-generation head isn't a bad way to save, BUT make sure it meets your league's specs. Also remember that heads usually aren't marked down much from retail, though there are still some solid, cheaper used options out there.
Complete sticks. Shafts, heads and now complete sticks. "Complete stick" brings back memories of cheap aluminum starter shafts with tinsel heads that snap at even mid-level contact. But a used complete stick might be a formerly top-tier head and shaft combo put together by the original owner, so you could find a solid deal without the headache of matching the two pieces yourself.
Shoulder pads. Used soft protective gear makes me a bit more nervous, so it's lower on the list, but shoulder pads are the best of the bunch. You can save a decent chunk of change, and they don't wear out nearly as fast as other gear. BUT keep in mind that some used pads may be flooding the market because they don't meet the newer protection standard, so double-check that any shoulder pad meets the current NOCSAE standard (ND200, which took effect in 2022) before you buy.
Arm pads. Like shoulder pads, arm pads last a bit longer than some other gear, so they make the list. The markdowns tend to be smaller, so it may be worth buying new. But if you're pinching pennies, they're not a bad piece to buy used.
Gloves. Look, gloves seem to have some of the deepest markdowns of the bunch, which is why they're on this list. But they also tend to be some of the most worn-out gear, rivaling shafts and heads, and not exactly the most hygienic. That just means you need a little more patience and scrutiny to find the diamonds in the rough.

Bad lacrosse gear to buy used

Shoulder pads that aren't NOCSAE certified. Yeah, I know, this is very specific, but it's important. With the change in protection standards, some less-than-trustworthy sellers will try to make a few bucks off outdated gear. Watch out for this so you don't end up with shoulder pads you can't use. A new pad like the Maverik Charger Shoulder Pad 2026 ($74.99) doesn't cost much more.
Starter-pack complete sticks. Going back to complete sticks above, don't buy those cheap retail starter sticks used. They're probably worn somewhere, and the savings are negligible.
Really old helmets. Same idea as shoulder pads: make sure any protective gear you buy meets current standards and specs. Old Cascades with boxed-out visors aren't dominating the field for a reason.
Warped or illegal heads. Building off the heads section above, look closely for visual signs of wear and make sure the face shape is legal to current specs. If you notice even a slight twist in the head's angle or pinch at the throat, run for the hills. See what makes a lacrosse stick illegal.
Cleats. Just don't. The wear and tear on footwear (yup, we're rhyming) over a season is immense, so adding someone else's mileage before you even take the field isn't worth it. Cleats are key to your performance, which makes them one thing we tell you to buy new, like the New Balance FreezeLX v5 Mid Cleat ($129.99).
Gloves. Yup, we put them here too, just to repeat how much damage gloves take over a season. Some good ones sneak through, but this might be the one piece of gear to splurge on new if you can.

What to look for in used lacrosse gear

Condition

This comes first with any gear, but it matters even more on the used market.

It can be tough online, but do your best to check every piece for dents, cracks, rips and discoloration that could point to serious underlying problems.

And for the love of God, do a smell test before you start rocking any soft gear.

Sizing

This goes without saying, but make sure the gear fits you. The used market isn't stocked in every size, so don't get seduced by quality or price without making sure YOU can use it.

Also double-check the listed size if you can. Look for photos of the tag, or just ask the seller, even if the size is listed.

Retail quality

Even though it's not retail, always think about the product's original quality. Reviews on the original product listings online, and on this site, can tell you a lot about performance, fit and even durability.

Pricing

We're not just talking about how cheap a used item is, but how cheap it is compared to retail.

Some gear, like arm pads or goalie chest protectors, isn't marked down that much from what's on store shelves. If you can cover the extra $10 to get it new, do it.

Less mileage may be worth it.

Seller rating

This always matters when buying anything online, and especially with lacrosse gear. It stinks to admit, but some folks will try to make a buck selling busted or defective gear on the used market.

Always check the seller's feedback rating before you click buy to judge whether the item will match its listing.