Play It Again Sports gives big discounts

The cost mounts even more quickly when parents have to equip children for sports.

"With kids growing so much in one season, it's definitely better to buy used," James Fahey, a father of two, said. "That way, you're not buying brand-new equipment and just getting rid of it halfway through the season."

Fahey said he found a used hockey helmet for his 6-year-old son James at Play It Again Sports in Cary for about half the price as a new one.

The store buys and sells used sporting equipment, said Play It Again Sports manager Matt Sawyer. Hockey equipment is one of the store's biggest sellers – at half or even a quarter of retail prices for new items, Sawyer said.

"It ranges new anywhere from $300 to $1,000 to suit up a kid," the store manager said. "And we can do it for $200 to about $400."

And not all the toys are kid's stuff – for example, a $200 golf bag for $70 and plenty of used golf clubs.

"For instance, a Cleveland wedge, 30 bucks," Sawyer said. "Everybody likes Cleveland wedges. They're about $80, $90 new."

Treadmills and ellipticals are commonly in stock.

"A lot of people have good intentions, and they don't stick with it. And everybody is always trying to lose a pound," Sawyer said.

The store gives deals on everything from head to toe – from $110 and $120 lacrosse helmets for $50 to "used golf shoes, used cleats, you name it."

Fahey said his children are outfitted for all their sports activities. At the tune of $195, that was about half of what he expected to pay for brand-new equipment, he said.