Pro Tips for Pro Deals: Plan Ahead and Prepare

The first rule of the outdoors is simple: plan ahead and be prepared. Still, even the most seasoned adventurers know that lessons often come the hard way — through trial and error. Not every outing goes perfectly, and not every story has a happy ending. But each misstep gives us a chance to learn, adjust, and head into the next adventure a little wiser than before. I encourage you to approach every task with this mindset. The current task at hand: smart shopping on Outdoor Prolink. 

RESEARCH 

Thinking of a product but don’t know if it’s the product for you? Did you know The Link, the Outdoor Prolink blog, is loaded with gear reviews?! Do some research and set yourself up for success with an item you will not only love but that also meets all your needs. We understand it’s tempting to go and try the gear on in stores, but be respectful of sales associates’ time and attention, and please refrain from mentioning your pro deals. Don’t know where to start? We got you. In my recent blog post, Pro Tips for Pro Deals: Shopping Smarter with Outdoor Prolink, I deep dive into how to research products and shop smarter on our platform.

THINK AHEAD

In a time crunch and need your gear like, yesterday? You might want to consider supporting your local retail shop and getting your gear locally! Keep in mind while shopping that Outdoor Prolink orders can take up to 7-14 business days to process, ship, and arrive at your door. Yup, that says business days… so please, plan accordingly!

PROMOTIONS

Promotions are your FRIEND! Use them wisely! Located on the homepage toolbar, you can find a PROMOS tab that will take you to a curated list of all products with additional discounts or free shipping promotions. From here, you can scroll down to the Filter/Sort tab, which breaks down all the different types of promotions currently running. Promotions vary from brand to brand, so please be sure to note those free shipping dollar minimums. You can always find promo details on the product page under the product name.

PRO-DEAL ABUSE

Remember, you get these great deals because of your influence in the industry, so this program is only for you (not your partner, spouse, significant other, friend, buddy, or climbing partner)!

Here are a few reminders to keep top of mind:

• Your Outdoor Prolink login information must remain confidential.
• Your Outdoor Prolink account is for you and only you. Purchasing gear for anyone but yourself is considered pro-abuse. Our Customer Service team reviews all orders and will suspend your account if you are caught purchasing for others. You are welcome to order kids specific items for your children (the product must state “Kids” on the product page). The only other exception is when brands run Friends and Family promotions.
• Always be discreet about your pro deals. If someone asks about your rad new gear, direct them to a local retailer or the brand.
• All pro sales are final. Part of the tradeoff of these amazing deals is that most brands cannot accept returns. Please buy carefully! However, if a product is damaged or does not operate, the manufacturer will comply with their warranty.

DROPSHIPPING/ORDERING FROM THE SAME BRAND

Outdoor Prolink utilizes the dropshipping method, which means every brand on the site is responsible for shipping their own products; this is a big reason for the higher shipping costs. No, Outdoor Prolink does not have any inventory on hand or a warehouse of items… which is a good thing because we would not get any work done with that many toys around. To keep it brief, if you order multiple pieces of gear from the same brand, this will help ease some of the pain of shipping costs. If brands have the same distributor, they will ship together and this will also decrease shipping costs. You can find that information under the “Shipping Info” section on the product page. 

We also encourage members ordering together to help reduce shipping costs. Please send us an email with both active members’ names and the order number. We’ll get the order linked to both accounts. And finally, if the product costs as much as the shipping… we urge you to save money and shop local! 

TRIPLE CHECK

One last thing… pro deals are not the norm, so PLEASE order carefully and double-check your cart closely as all sales are FINAL! That means no returns or exchanges. Also, don’t forget we mentioned our standard delivery window of 7–14 business days. Unfortunately, we cannot cancel your order if it’s not going to arrive in time for that backpacking trip you have planned.

Have fun, smart shopping, and we’ll see you out there! You can always reach out to our team at [email protected] if you have any questions!