A buddy and I were reminiscing over the weekend about when we were younger and buying ALICE web gear, boots, fatigues, packs, mechanics tool bags, etc from surplus stores.  If we needed something, a surplus store was always our first stop.  We could find what we were looking for there, and find it cheap.

However, these days, prices for military surplus seem to us to be much higher then back in the 80s and 90s.  We were speculating on eBay, less surplus available, folks stocking up for SHTF, but we never could come up with a good  explanation.

What do y'all think?

I've wondered the same thing.  $200 for BDU's??  C'mon.

I worked "surplus" for several years. In my opinion, there a few factors at work.
First: the govt doesn't release as much as they used to. It seems like more stuff is controlled; armor carriers and whatnot. Yes some do get surplussed out, but I new saw huge lots of IOTVs go up for auction like I did LBE suspenders (for example)

Secondly, Govt Liquidation keeps the good stuff and has started selling it on their own.
Want Sleep Systems? Well there selling the best ones on their own website. If we wanted a large amount, we had to buy huge lots and separate the beat-to-hell ones from the salable ones. So that sort of bottlenecks supply.

Thirdly, yes, the Internet. Now that people in Italy and brazil have access to us surplus via eBay (or wherever) demand has gone up, with price accordingly.
It kinda seems like demand across the board has skyrocketed. I recall WW2 stuff being everywhere when I was a kid. I think around Saving Private Ryan, people went nuts, M1923 belts and stuff doubled in price.

Just my brief thoughts onthe subject, I could ramble at length but it's best to keep it brief.

The gear itself is better and costs more.

$40 ILBE vs. $20 ALICE? No question which one I'm picking

Gore-tex shells vs poncho? What does a new gore-tex shell cost at cabelas?

The technology going into the gear is driving much of the surplus costs

capitalism

• There are more buyers in the marketplace via E'bay and other online sites.


• Preppers, Mall Ninjas, Couch Commandos, etc. are hoarding stuff so less supply is available


• The technology in newer generation stuff is a lot more expensive


• People balk at Cabela's, Bass Pro, etc. prices and search out similar specification stuff from military surplus


• .....

I'm willing to bet they made a lot more of the old stuff too.  All that ALICE gear left over from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's?  The military was 2-3x larger back then, so naturally there was a lot more equipment made to equip it.  And they made it for 20-30-40 years.  Also, the material costs to make the older stuff in OD green was probably significantly less than to make the modern stuff in ACU/MARPAT/OCP/etc.  The supply of current OCIE is less, the initial cost to the .gov was greater, therefore the surplus value is greater.

More of the gear is being used in combat zones and that means when its finished being used, its mostly destroyed or its left in the combat zone, not brought back and surplused off. The 80's had alice gear that never saw a day of actual field use...

Most of the good stuff is going to gov agencies and state/local agencies first. Not nearly as much stuff is discarded like it use to be at huge bulk lots for pennies on the dollar.

Lots of small LE agencies are taking stuff they may never need or use, but its free to them so they grab anything the military is giving away. Small 9 officer podunk police department is never going to need a palet of 80 kevalar helmets, or 3 palets of assorted BDU's, but they'll take em anyway...

It's not free to LE. The LESO program donates it to the states, who generally charge 10% of current Unit Replacement Cost (but rates vary by state). Helmets are restricted and very hard to get now. Camouflage uniforms are not supposed to be released, but sometimes DLA forgets their own complicated policy. Some units purposely destroy equipment that would otherwise be re-utilized upon receipt by a DRMO, simply because someone stated to do so in a manual or someone in charge thought that was how it should be done. Most "good" items are destroyed along with all the other DEMIL B, C, and D "combat" gear. The DoD doesn't care if the same stuff is readily available commercially or not. Foreign governments also get a shot at the surplus before cops and museums do. Supply is decreased and demand has increased.

less surplus

Except for Fed LE... Which doesn't pay a penny for anything surplus. And there are dozens of Fed LE agencies that take full advantage of surplus gear...
We get everything from MRAPS and humvees to rain jackets and snow boots and everything in between. The only thing we dont get is firearms and ammo. We always buy those new... I have procured more than a few palets of gear from DRMO and other surplus programs in the past few years. The gear is simply transferred on paper (or computer) from DOD to which department takes it... If you take the ride to get it, it doesnt cost a dime. If they have to ship it, you pay the freight.

From what I've seen, our glorious leaders have decided that it would be a better investment to give our surplus to Islamic terrorists moderate rebel allies.

As an example, the market should be saturated with Kevlar helmets, IBA's, and SAPI's. But now they're being used by Jubar Muhummed Kalik. Because in our government's eyes, it's much safer to give them to a crazy jihadist overseas that will further American interests, rather than release such evil implements of war to their own citizenry in their own country.