Fishing, hiking and collecting in Sweden: 230 adverts

Three hobbies sharing one category

Seekuro has 230 live sports adverts from Sweden, and they are not what the word sports usually means. There is very little gym equipment here. What there is instead are three distinct hobbies that happen to share a shelf.

Fishing is the largest. The adverts carry sea trout spoons sold in sets of seven, BETE Lotto 12 gram spinners, rod holders and the rest of the tackle that Swedish coastal and lake fishing runs on. Outdoor walking is second, with footwear and clothing built for the conditions, such as Salomon Gore-Tex hiking boots in size 40 described as lightly used. And then the collecting hobbies: Topps Match Attax Champions League football cards sold in tens, a signed Asafa Powell item from the 2016 Olympic 4x100 metres, Warhammer 40k miniatures including a Space Marine Land Raider. Metal detecting sits alongside them, with waterproof detectors and their accessories.

All of it arrives through Tradera, the Swedish auction marketplace.

What it costs

Asking prices run from 5 to 2,864 Swedish crowns, with the middle at 305.

The low end is single lures, individual cards and small accessories, often a few crowns each. The 305 crown middle buys a good used pair of walking boots, a set of quality spoons or spinners, or a painted miniature. The top end, towards 2,864 crowns, is a metal detector with its accessories, a complete tackle setup, a graded or signed sports item, or a large Warhammer model in good condition.

Fishing tackle has an unusual property worth knowing: a lure that catches fish in a particular water holds its price for years, and local knowledge of what works is often why a Swedish set sells to a Swedish buyer.

Fishing tackle: what to ask

Ask the weight and the length of every lure, in grams and millimetres, because that is how they are chosen and the photograph cannot tell you. A BETE Lotto in 12 grams is a different tool from the same model in 18.

Ask about hook condition and whether the hooks have been changed. Ask about rust on the split rings, which is where corrosion appears first on tackle that has seen salt water.

For rods and reels, ask whether the rod has ever been repaired at the joint and whether the reel has been serviced. Ask the line rating and the action. For a reel, ask for a short video of it turning rather than a photograph.

Ask whether the tackle has been used in the sea or only in fresh water. Saltwater gear needs rinsing and the ones that were not rinsed show it.

Boots, clothing and gear

For walking boots, the size on the label is the beginning and not the answer. Ask for the insole length in centimetres, heel to toe, and ask whether the seller has a wide or narrow foot.

Ask how many kilometres the boots have walked, which is a question experienced buyers ask and sellers can usually answer. Ask for a photograph of the soles, where wear is honest, and of the flex crease across the toe box.

For anything waterproof, ask when the membrane was last treated and whether it still beads water. A Gore-Tex boot that has stopped beading is still usable and is worth less.

For a metal detector, ask whether it powers on, what the coil size is, whether the waterproof rating covers the coil alone or the whole unit, and what accessories are included. Ask for a photograph of the screen switched on.

Cards, miniatures and signed items

For trading cards, ask whether they are from the base set or an insert, and ask the condition of the corners and edges. Sets sold in tens are usually common cards, which is honest and should be priced as such.

For Warhammer and similar miniatures, ask whether the model is assembled, primed or painted, who painted it, and whether any parts are missing or broken. A well painted model is worth more than an unbuilt one to some buyers and less to others, so say plainly which it is.

For signed items, ask what the provenance is and do not pay a premium for a signature with no documentation. A photograph of the signing, a certificate or a named event is the difference between a signed item and a marked one.

Writing the advert and sending it

Put the maker, the model, the size or weight and the condition in the title. "Salomon Gore-Tex hiking boots size 40" and "BETE Lotto 12g spinner" are searches people actually type. "Boots" and "lure" are not.

Photograph in daylight on a plain background, show the wear honestly, and include a close photograph of any mark or model number stamped on the item.

Most of this category posts easily. Lures need a rigid box so the hooks cannot pierce the packaging or the handler. Cards go between stiff boards in a sleeve. Miniatures need to be boxed with filling and with fragile parts protected separately. Boots go in a box, not a bag.

Because Seekuro publishes the advert in six languages, Swedish coastal tackle and Nordic outdoor gear become visible to buyers in Finland and Norway who fish the same waters and walk the same conditions.