Uhhhh, used ropes for sale?

So recently I went to a fabric store outside of Asheville to buy some ripstop nylon for a tent project.
I noticed that they had buckets of old used climbing rope for sale for $5/lb, some of it looked pretty beat up.
I asked an employee if they sell it for climbing purposes and was told they they aren't allowed to say "yes", but thats what people buy it for. I was then told about SAR personnel who frequent the store and pick through the rope bins.... I really hope this was misinformation.

Here's a pic of an almost completely severed rope for sale.

Upon leaving the store my mind was blown and I felt like I had to share.
What does everyone think, buyer beware or negligence on the part of the store(or both)?

I think it's fine to sell those. Not much different than someone buying a manila rope or clothesline in a hardware store, then using it for climbing. They said they didn't sell it as a "climbing rope," right?

Edit: To take it a little further, the store can't decide for you what to use it for or not use it for. So if you buy that rope to hang a tire from a tree, pull your horse out of a pond or climb on, that is entirely the owner's decision. As long as they don't advertise it as "climbing rope."

Hahaha so typical for NC

I'm a SAR person, and I would look through that bin. I always need rope to tie branches on to my trailer or something. Don't be scared, nobody is going to go on a rescue mission with used core shot dynamic rope!

5 bucks a pound? Hmm, a full rope is like 8 lbs, so 40 bucks for a typical sized rope...think that's a bit high for questionable used. They should sell for maybe 10bucks a rope. A dream supply for those (like me) who are weaving the biggest backyard rope hammock they can possibly make from any available ropes..too bad I'm not near Ashville.

Interesting perspectives, thanks for the replies.

I guess my line of thinking was that many ropes which are not intended for body weight have a warning stating such.
Because climbing ropes are manufactured specifically to hold humans, given that some of the ropes sold in the store are no longer suitable for that purpose, I felt as though the store had an obligation to make that known.

It just kinda seemed when talking to the employee that a wink-wink nod-nod thing was going on where the store viewed it strictly as a liability thing and didn't give consideration to the very real safety concerns of selling beat up climbing ropes.

Buyer Beware.

Sarugo wrote:I asked an employee if they sell it for climbing purposes and was told they they aren't allowed to say "yes", but thats what people buy it for

That's the only part that bothers me. The answer should be "No, those are retired climbing ropes. Don't climb on them."

Everything else seems fine to me. I make rugs out of ropes, so finding a steady supply at the local fabric store would be like Christmas.

Woodchuck ATC wrote:5 bucks a pound? ... so 40 bucks for a typical sized rope.... They should sell for maybe 10bucks a rope.

The going rate in my area is 20 bucks, $25 shipped.

I would like to purchase a cheap but usable retired 1/2 inch rope for general use around the property, pulling limbs and etc. Can anyone suggest a source?

FrankPS wrote:I think it's fine to sell those. Not much different than someone buying a manila rope or clothesline in a hardware store, then using it for climbing. They said they didn't sell it as a "climbing rope," right? Edit: To take it a little further, the store can't decide for you what to use it for or not use it for. So if you buy that rope to hang a tire from a tree, pull your horse out of a pond or climb on, that is entirely the owner's decision. As long as they don't advertise it as "climbing rope."

This is incorrect. That's not how law works.

kcradford wrote: A hardware store.

Sorry, but hardware stores don't carry used ropes and their new ropes are pricey and don't have the soft feel of a climber's rope. My son has one he picked up (I think off Craig's list) that he uses when he walks his wolf-dog and it's a great rope.

Eddie T wrote:I would like to purchase a cheap but usable retired 1/2 inch rope for general use around the property, pulling limbs and etc. Can anyone suggest a source?

Our climbing gym sells worn out ropes at low prices. They cut them into shorter pieces so they don't have to worry about your use (dog leashes, rope swings, etc.). But, if they know you personally, and you have a suitable reason/use for the rope, they will give/sell you a long one.

D.Buffum wrote: How does "law work"?

You can be liable evenwith a disclaimer for people putting your product to that use. Didn't mean to sound like such a dick. Fwiw, this isn't legal advice

As a veteran I find it ironic that brave men have fought and died for our freedom yet some refuse us the freedom to re-purpose something as simple as a rope.

This website sells them but has no inventory at present plus what they have had of late was not all that cheap. repurposedmaterialsinc.com/…

At a suggestion I contacted a nearby climbing gym, they wisely suggested (as did kcradford) that static line would best suit my purposes but they donate theirs to an organization which sells it to benefit underprivileged kids. Interestingly they failed to name the organization.

I'll keep pursuing this as I know there is no legal problem with it except in the eyes of some. Since Asheville is nearby maybe Sarugo will tell me where he saw the ropes. I could if necessary even knot ropes to obtain the length I need on occasion but a knot (even a proper one for joining lines) is the weakest point of a good rope. If I can find what I need it is a win for me and the environment as re-purposing is great.

Eddie T...
Once a year Sean Cobourn collects ropes in the Carolinas that are sold at the NOC festival for boaters to use to tie kayaks down. He graciously donates the money to the CCC in return. You might try getting in touch with him about getting a used rope...but I don't think anyone expects these ropes to be used for climbing purposes and might not sell them to you if that was your intent.

I've purchased several lightly used static ropes from the local climbing gym that I used for building top rope anchors or for non climbing use in the past, but the gym understood my intent and hooked me up with the best ropes they had to make sure I was safe.

Actually, old climbing ropes are outstanding for mooring boats because they are not static. I lived near Lake Lanier in GA, and when I moved I sold damn near 20 years worth of old ropes in garage sales at $50/ea., and they went fast.

Anyone buying rope out of a bucket and being charged by the pound isn't using it for climbing. Even if they do use it for that purpose the store isn't liable. What climbing shop sells climbing rope that way?

Actually the stretch of a dynamic line would not be a problem for my repurposing use. When my son helped me move tree trunks and limbs the stretch provide enough tension that we didn't need to man the other end of the line.

The climbing community appears to be an excellent source for quality lines for general purpose use. IMHO making rugs and doormats from them would be a terrible waste of a resource though better than a landfill.

Contrary to what someone said above, I find climbing ropes very useful for "pulling things." I live 8 miles from pavement, off of a dirt road that gets no maintenance. I pull vehicles out of snowbanks, or get pulled out myself, several times every year. We also have the axle dragging mud bogs of springtime on some years.
The climbing ropes are superior in many aspects, compared to chains, or the typical tow straps. The extra length allow the pulling vehicle to be far away, on solid ground. The stretch can allow a smaller vehicle to use its momentum to pull a larger vehicle without the big "jerk" of a chain and related vehicle damage.
The only disadvantage I've run into is that the ultimate tensile strength of a climbing rope is low, compared to other things (I"ve broken, or cut, a couple). Now, to make my "tow ropes," out of climbing rope, I use a double strand, with one being a bit longer than the other. The short one takes all the stretching, and wears out faster. The longer piece acts as a backup, so the vehicles don't get get completely disconnected if things go awry.
I built a log cabin from scratch, in the early 90's. I used old climbing ropes to drag all the logs on skidding paths through the forest. They worked fine for that purpose as well. The vehicle didn't have to be nearly as close to where the tree was felled, and this greatly reduced the damage to the forest floor.

Tom Nyce wrote:Contrary to what someone said above, I find climbing ropes very useful for "pulling things." I live 8 miles from pavement, off of a dirt road that gets no maintenance. I pull vehicles out of snowbanks, or get pulled out myself, several times every year. We also have the axle dragging mud bogs of springtime on some years. The climbing ropes are superior in many aspects, compared to chains, or the typical tow straps. The extra length allow the pulling vehicle to be far away, on solid ground. The stretch can allow a smaller vehicle to use its momentum to pull a larger vehicle without the big "jerk" of a chain and related vehicle damage. The only disadvantage I've run into is that the ultimate tensile strength of a climbing rope is low, compared to other things (I"ve broken, or cut, a couple). Now, to make my "tow ropes," out of climbing rope, I use a double strand, with one being a bit longer than the other. The short one takes all the stretching, and wears out faster. The longer piece acts as a backup, so the vehicles don't get get completely disconnected if things go awry. I built a log cabin from scratch, in the early 90's. I used old climbing ropes to drag all the logs on skidding paths through the forest. They worked fine for that purpose as well. The vehicle didn't have to be nearly as close to where the tree was felled, and this greatly reduced the damage to the forest floor.

My Hat's off to a man who thinks outside the box. I suspect that prepping and a pioneer spirit is a prerequisite to living out there. I built my own house but with conventional frame construction.

As for excessive regulations and "do gooders", I think Ben Carson said it well, "Historically, individual freedoms vanish as government interventions increase."

Meanwhile I am still searching for that bargain rope, climbers should realize thet the first climbers didn't use climbing rope and loosen up a bit maybe even helping those of us who think outside the box.
__________________