How to Buy Used Hot Tubs: Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather
Buy a used hot tub only after an expert inspects it and you pay once it is running at your home. Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather with Allan Share.
Saunas, cold plunges, and hot tubs have become part of the spa and wellness world, and new ones are expensive. On episode 213 of Flock and Gather, the Spa Industry Association's podcast, host Allan Share talked with Commonplace founder Ari Kimmelfeld about buying that equipment secondhand without the risk: inspection, white-glove delivery, and payments handled.
Listen to the episode: Episode 213 with guest Ari Kimmelfeld from Commonplace, Flock and Gather with Allan Share, aired April 27, 2026. Listen on Podbean.
Key takeaways
- Commonplace is a marketplace like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or OfferUp, plus pickup, inspection, delivery, and payment.
- Buyers do not pay in full until the item is delivered and working. Sellers are paid at pickup.
- Most buyers are not hot tub experts. An expert inspection before pickup tells you what you are getting.
- White-glove delivery means the crew sets it up, like mounting a Tonal on the wall, before you pay in full.
- Sellers skip the parking lot meetup and never hand a gate code to a stranger.
What is Commonplace?
Commonplace is a marketplace for gently used wellness and fitness equipment, sold with inspection, white-glove delivery, and payment handled on the platform. It is aimed at the expensive, heavy pieces: hot tubs, saunas, and cold plunges, not small accessories. You should not have to be a dealer to buy one used.
Simply put, it's just a marketplace, similar to Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist or OfferUp. The biggest difference is that we offer delivery and pickup and inspection and the full payments. So buyers don't pay until something is delivered and they can see it, feel it, test it out. And then our drivers inspect everything upon pickup to make sure that the seller is actually selling what they described, and sellers get paid upon pickup.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 01:48
If it's good, you get paid immediately with Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or bank transfer. And so it's a really seamless and easy way to sell something. You don't have to meet up with strangers. You don't get those 'Hi, is this available?' messages like you might on Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 02:19
Full comparison: Commonplace vs Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and OfferUp.
Why Ari started it
The first website had two buttons, buy a Peloton and sell a Peloton, because those bikes were sitting unused after people went back to the gym. The same pattern showed up in home wellness: a costly tub or sauna that the owner no longer uses and cannot easily move. The buttons grew into a full marketplace.
I've pretty much been buying and selling things on marketplaces my entire life, including cars, electronics, furniture... But at the same time, a lot of the people around me didn't really view it as a real shopping channel, including my own friends and family. My mom would never buy a car on Facebook Marketplace. And I'm like, well, why not? And there really is a lot of friction when you're buying something that's expensive and far away.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 02:47
The first version of the site was about Pelotons, Ari said.
Our first website only had two buttons on it, and it was very Peloton focused... One of them was buy a Peloton and the other was sell a Peloton. And people were just selling their Pelotons left and right.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 08:12
Listings that show the real item
A listing has to show the actual item, working, not a stock photo and a hope. Buyers of a hot tub or a sauna are spending enough that photos and a written condition are the start, and an inspection is the rest. If the record does not match the machine, the sale should stop.
Allan noticed that the saunas on the site looked brand new. Ari explained what buyers see.
The cover image, we've tried to remove any mess in the background. It's especially helpful for furniture, if somebody's taking a picture of their couch and there might be kids or cats in the background... And then we'll have all of the rest of the images uploaded by the seller, as well as videos. So for hot tubs or saunas, a lot of the listings will also have videos, so they get a real impression of what it is. And then upon pickup, we'll do a full inspection and we'll send the inspection report to the customer before it's actually picked up. So they can approve it.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 05:39
How buying a used hot tub works
You are not expected to know what a dealer knows. Most people buy two or three hot tubs in a life. The person who inspects it does that work every week, checks the jets and the plumbing, and will tell you if this tub is a poor one. You pay in full only after it is delivered and running.
You can place an offer on that hot tub... If the seller accepts, and they'll get a notification right away about your offer... you basically won't be charged the full amount until the hot tub is delivered in your backyard and it's fully set up and running. And if there's anything wrong, you don't get charged. You can cancel your order for a full refund.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 10:08
We send out an inspector to look at the hot tub, take videos... make sure there are no leaks from the jets, from any of the plumbing, confirm all the details, like the voltage for the hot tub, are correct, that the seller indicated on their listing... After that inspection, we haul it away. Obviously the seller gets paid upon pickup in full. And then we deliver it, we set it up for the buyer.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 10:46
Why the inspection matters
A buyer who is not a hot tub dealer does not know which questions to ask, any more than most people know how to inspect a used car. The inspection is done by someone who does. If the tub is in bad shape, Commonplace says so and can point you to another one. That conversation is free.
I think a lot of buyers, when they want something, they're not experts in that. If I'm a hot tub dealer, or if I'm a car dealer and all I do is buy used cars, I know what I'm looking for... But most people, they're only buying six, maybe seven cars in their lifetimes. Maybe you're only buying two or three hot tubs in your life. You don't know exactly what to ask for.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 12:02
The person inspecting it is a hot tub expert. So if something doesn't look right, we'll know about it before you do. And we're more than happy to say, hey, this hot tub is not in great condition. If you still want it, these are the fixes that we can do, or we can find you another hot tub. And that's free of charge.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 12:41
More in how to know a used hot tub works before you buy it.
White-glove delivery, explained
White-glove means the crew brings the item in, sets it up, and confirms it works before you pay the balance. Ari's example on the episode was a Tonal mounted on the wall, bracket and bolts included, tested before the charge. A hot tub delivery includes setup, with the electrical and plumbing coordinated rather than left as a surprise.
Allan asked whether bringing it in, plugging it in, and making sure it works is included. Ari described a Tonal delivery.
We sell something called a Tonal, and it's basically like these smart home gyms... and it goes on your wall... We fully install it on your wall, which requires a bracket, bolts, and it can take 45 minutes. So that's what we call a white-glove delivery. And you actually get to test it out, log in, make sure the Tonal is fully working before you even get charged that full amount.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 14:16
More in what white-glove delivery includes.
Sellers skip the parking lot meetup
Sellers of a tub, a sauna, or a bike should not have to meet a stranger in a parking lot or a driveway and hope the cash is real. A crew comes to the house, picks the item up, and pays the seller there. The buyer never has to be the person who figures out the truck.
I think sellers really love the white-glove pickup service. They don't have to meet with strangers. They don't have to be fearful that some random person on Facebook or, even worse, Craigslist... they don't have to go to a parking lot and meet up with them and take cash.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 15:53
Allan, who lives in a gated community in Arizona, agreed: "The last thing you want to do is give the code to someone to come into your facility."
You can easily swap things. So let's say one season you're in the mood of a spin bike, the next season you're really in the mood of a treadmill. You can easily swap one for the other without paying retail for either of them, and without having to meet up with strangers. Just have a crew come in, pick something up, give you money for it, instead of having to pay a delivery team to haul something away.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 07:37
When things go wrong
Used equipment breaks, and the question is who owns that. On an open marketplace, it is you, the moment you hand over cash. On Commonplace the inspection happens first, you approve it, and a warranty covers what the inspection did not catch. If it fails the inspection, it is not your problem and it is not delivered.
Allan asked about the complaint side. Ari was direct.
It's a very operationally complex business. So think of Uber: every once in a while, a driver will be late. Every once in a while, a seller is not available or the item is not available, and so an order has to get canceled... The things that are in our control, for example, if something breaks during the delivery, we absolutely reimburse... And then everything on Commonplace comes with a 60-day free parts and labor warranty.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Flock and Gather 213, at 17:41
Commonplace is the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and OfferUp alternative for big items. Listing is free, and Commonplace handles pickup, inspection, delivery, secure payments, and a two-month parts and labor warranty. See how it works.
Categories in this episode
These are the two or three categories this conversation covers. Shop the used listings, or open the sell page when you are ready to let one go.
- Hot tubs. Selling one: sell your hot tub.
- Saunas.
- Cold plunges. Selling one: sell a cold plunge.
FAQ
How is Commonplace different from Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or OfferUp?
Ari Kimmelfeld calls it a marketplace like those, with one big difference: Commonplace handles pickup, inspection, delivery, and payment. Buyers do not pay in full until the item is delivered, and sellers are paid at pickup by Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or bank transfer.
How do I know a used hot tub works before I buy it?
Get an expert inspection before it moves. On Commonplace the inspector checks the jets, looks for leaks, and confirms details like voltage, and the buyer sees the videos and report before pickup. You are not charged in full until it is delivered and running.
What does white-glove delivery include?
The crew brings the item in, sets it up, and makes sure it works before you pay in full. Ari's example: a Tonal is mounted on your wall with its bracket and bolts, and you log in and test it first.
Can I switch fitness equipment when my routine changes?
Yes. Ari's point: sell the spin bike when you are in a treadmill season and buy the treadmill secondhand, without paying retail for either and without meeting strangers. A crew picks up what you sold and pays you for it.
Thank you to Allan Share for having Ari on Flock and Gather. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Podbean.
More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.
Selling a hot tub, sauna, or cold plunge?
List it free on the hot tub, sauna, cold plunge, or home gym sell page. We inspect it, pick it up, and pay you at pickup.