No service grades outdoor gear, and the useful assessment is not how much it was used but how it was kept.
The three statements
Does it work — demonstrated, untested, or faulty with the fault named. Is it complete — everything listed, or what is missing named. How it was stored — dry and indoors, or otherwise, and roughly how long.
The third is the one sellers forget and buyers most want. A six-year-old tent stored dry beats a two-year-old one packed away wet. Describing outdoor gear.
Item by item
Tents — seam tape, leaks, zips, poles, groundsheet wear, mould, waterproofing state. Sleeping bags — loft, clumping, zips, washing history, whether stored compressed. Packs — straps, buckles, stitching at stress points, coating flaking inside. Stoves — does it light, seal condition, leaks, completeness. Reels and rods — drag smoothness, bearing noise, line age, guides, set in the blank. Optics — clarity, fungus, haze, focus, coatings, caps and case.
Mould is not a cosmetic grade
It does not come out of fabric. Say it if it is there, show it, and say whether it has been cleaned. A hidden mould bloom is the thing a buyer finds and never forgives.
Service life is part of the grade
Coatings, elastic and foam age whether or not the item was used. Say the age, not only the use.
Questions people ask
How do I grade waterproofing I have not tested?
As untested, with the age of the coating. Do not promise dryness you have not stood in.
Is a patched hole a lower grade?
A declared repair is a maintained item. An undeclared one is a dispute.
Does washing a sleeping bag harm it?
Done wrongly it kills loft. Say whether it was washed and how.
More: buying outdoor gear, storing it.