Why you should start with the ‘used bin’ at a disc golf shop

Yes, you can purchase used discs online …

But this is more of an in-person, brick-and-mortar thing.

First, if you don’t know what a “used bin” is, it’s the term employed to describe the previously owned frisbees disc golf shops (and some online retailers) resell at a discount. Instead of letting old, unused discs collect dust, golfers will sell them back to their local retailers for some cash. In turn, said retailers will sell the beaten, yet newly acquired discs for cheap to incoming customers.

As a buyer, there are a number of obvious benefits with going this route …

I’ll touch on ‘em briefly, but again – they’re obvious.

First, they’re dirt-cheap. If you want to try out a new mold, instead of paying extra for the manufacturer’s Halo-equivalent, see if there’s one in the used bin. It won’t be pretty, but it’ll work. And if it does work, with complete confidence, you can buy the better-looking version.

Next, beaten flight paths are butter. No, not all used discs are beat to the same degree. Some are smooth; others are complete trash. And while you can’t really know what you’ll get until you try one out, going the used-bin route, you won’t have to artificially season your discs like an idiot.

And lastly, for all you Greta Thunberg disciples out there, used-bin purchases are eco-friendly. Seals choke on plastic. Recycled frisbees reduce the careless discarding of plastic. Less plastic means a safer environment for our deep-sea friends – or something like that, I suppose.

Here’s what REALLY impresses me about the used bin, though …

There are hidden gems in there.

I’ve witnessed the following firsthand:

• It was abused beyond belief, but I’ve seen a CE Firebird in my local used bin.
• It’s not uncommon to stumble upon a “Destrulcan” Avery Jenkins Star Destroyer.
• A few years back, one of my D.G. buddies landed a lightly used 2017 Sexton Firebird.

You’ll find some baggable fliers, too.

Every round, for the past five or so years, I’ve rocked a flat-top Star Firebird I originally plucked from a nearby used bin. Back in the day, Calvin Heimburg used to throw flat-top Star Firebirds. I’d heard of them; I knew they existed. But I’d never actually SEEN one for myself …

Now, I never leave home without it.

Thanks, Señor Used Bin.

I don’t know who’s mindlessly selling these hard-to-find frisbees for pennies on the dollar, but whoever they are, they’re doing it frequently enough that you should start paying attention.

I get that a trip to your local disc golf shop might be primarily motivated by a new release or a Tour Series disc you’ve convinced yourself you need. But you’re doing yourself (and your bag) a BIG disservice by not spending five minutes rifling through a store’s “junk drawer” of discs.

Make a habit out of going all “American Pickers” on used bins …

The treasure will come.

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