Controlled Stores is a moderated marketplace for quality used (and sometimes new) tactical, military-surplus, outdoor and field gear in Australia. Our rules are deliberately conservative and are often stricter than the law: if we don't want a category of item here, we don't list it, even where possession or sale may be lawful.

Approval is not certification. We review the advertisement and the seller's information. We do not possess, inspect, test, authenticate, value or certify the goods. Buyers and sellers remain responsible for complying with the law and satisfying themselves about the item and the deal.

✅ What you can sell

Packs & bags — patrol packs, day packs, assault packs, duffels, hydration packs, dry bags.

Pouches & webbing — MOLLE pouches, webbing, belts, load-carriage accessories, empty holsters, empty first-aid and medical pouches.

Carriers & chest rigs — empty plate carriers and chest rigs only. No armour of any kind included (see conditions below).

Clothing & footwear — commercial tactical clothing, field, wet-weather and cold-weather gear, boots, gloves, obsolete-pattern camouflage such as DPCU/Auscam, lawfully owned foreign camouflage and surplus clothing (subject to the prohibited-symbol rules below).

Head, eye & ear protection — non-ballistic bump helmets, commercial eye protection, commercial hearing protection.

Sleeping & shelter — sleeping systems, shelters, bivvies.

Field equipment — canteens and hydration gear, standard unmodified entrenching tools and field shovels, field cooking equipment, torches.

Optics & electronics — binoculars, rangefinders, GPS, commercial scopes and red-dot sights where the item itself is not prohibited or controlled, commercial radios (you are responsible for lawful possession and operation), commercial slings and bipods.

Patches, medals & collectables — genuine collectable patches, genuine historic medals and clearly identified reproduction medals (see conditions below).

Outdoor & hiking — hiking, camping and general outdoor equipment, lawfully owned foreign military surplus, and other ordinary tactical or field equipment we accept.

We may refuse an otherwise lawful item if we consider it unsuitable for the marketplace.

⚠️ Allowed with conditions

Empty plate carriers and chest rigs — sold with no ballistic plates, soft armour, stab-resistant inserts or other armour. When listing, the seller confirms: "I confirm this listing does not include ballistic armour, ballistic plates, soft armour or stab-resistant inserts." Armour included = rejected.

Night vision and thermal — Australia-only transactions. No international shipping or export through Controlled Stores, regardless of any permit or exemption a person might separately hold. Sellers and buyers are responsible for any licence, permit or restriction that applies.

Original military medals — accurately identify the medal; say whether it is original, replacement, reproduction or replica; give any known provenance and never invent it; never suggest a buyer may wear it as their own where that would be unlawful. We may ask for evidence on high-value or suspicious listings.

ADF-origin equipment — higher stolen-property and Commonwealth-property risk. You must have lawfully acquired it and have the right to sell it. On request you must show reasonable evidence: a purchase receipt, Defence disposal or auction paperwork, surplus-dealer documentation or similar. "Got it from a mate" may not be enough for a high-risk item. Items marked Commonwealth or Defence property, items that appear never to have been lawfully disposed of, or suspicious quantities of current-issue kit may be rejected. Commercial gear that merely resembles ADF equipment by colour or pattern is fine; protected ADF insignia is not (see below).

Current-pattern camouflage and uniforms — accepted where lawfully privately owned and free of prohibited insignia, credentials or protected emblems. We may ask for provenance on genuine current-issue Australian items, and may reject pristine, bulk or otherwise suspicious current-issue kit.

Devices with lithium batteries — battery installed in the device; lawful and compliant to ship by the method you choose; not damaged, swollen, recalled or otherwise unsafe. No loose lithium batteries. You are responsible for checking your carrier's rules.

❌ Never allowed

These are marketplace rules. An item can be banned here even if a person could lawfully own or transfer it.

Firearms, ammunition and regulated components — firearms, frames, receivers, actions, barrels, bolts, suppressors, magazines, ammunition, live rounds, primers, propellant, reloading components and reloading equipment, any other regulated or controlled firearm component. If we are unsure whether something is a controlled component, we reject it. Ordinary non-controlled accessories (eligible commercial optics, empty holsters, slings, bipods) may be accepted under the permitted categories.

Replica, imitation and deactivated weapons — imitation or replica firearms, gel blasters, airsoft guns, deactivated or permanently inoperable firearms, realistic firearm replicas, replica military weapons. Applies even if described as decorative or incapable of firing.

Ordnance and ammunition collectables — live, blank, drill or dummy ammunition made from genuine components, inert or replica grenades and mines, artillery shells, military ordnance, explosive-device components, and empty ammunition components where accepting them would create doubt about legality or safety. Contact us before listing any obviously non-functional decorative object; we may make a case-by-case exception.

Body armour — ballistic body armour, plates, hard or soft armour, ballistic inserts, stab-resistant armour or vests, and any carrier sold together with armour. Empty carriers are fine.

Ballistic helmets — ballistic-rated helmets and shells. Non-ballistic bump helmets are fine.

Weapons — knives of any kind including combat knives and bayonets, multitools with blades, machetes, swords, daggers, axes designed or marketed as weapons, tactical tomahawks, knuckle dusters, batons, truncheons, crossbows, slingshots, tasers, stun guns, conducted-energy weapons, handcuffs and law-enforcement restraints. Plain camping axes and ordinary outdoor tools may be considered separately, at our discretion.

Sprays and chemicals — OC spray, pepper spray, mace, self-defence or incapacitating spray, chemical weapons, hazardous defensive chemicals.

Explosives and pyrotechnics — explosives and components, detonators, military or signal flares, smoke grenades, flash devices, pyrotechnics, fireworks, incendiary devices.

Lasers — standalone weapon-aiming lasers and handheld laser pointers. Ordinary optical rangefinders are fine.

Police equipment and credentials — genuine or replica Australian police uniforms, badges, insignia, identification, warrant cards, credentials or access passes, current or former forces.

Government and security credentials — current ADF identification, Defence or government access passes, correctional-facility credentials, anything designed to impersonate an official, government identity documents offered as collectables, access cards that could enable unauthorised entry. Expired credentials may also be rejected.

Protected ADF insignia and emblems — genuine or replica ADF badges, unit insignia and emblems, rank insignia where we prohibit it, protected Defence emblems, Defence identification items, and anything carrying protected Defence emblems where sale or display creates a legal or impersonation concern. If in doubt, ask first.

Suspicious Defence or government property — anything that appears to remain government property, appears stolen or never lawfully disposed of, has an ownership mark removed or obscured, has an altered or removed serial number, or otherwise gives us reasonable grounds to suspect unlawful possession.

Counterfeit and fake branded gear — fake branded equipment, optics, uniforms, helmets or electronics; forged labels; altered serials; fake authenticity markings; reproductions passed off as genuine. A lawful generic reproduction clearly described as one may be permitted. We remove listings on a credible IP complaint.

Recalled, banned and unsafe products — anything under an Australian product-safety ban or unresolved recall, known to be dangerously defective, modified to create an unreasonable safety risk, or that cannot lawfully be supplied.

Medicines and medical products — prescription medicines, controlled drugs, injectables, opened or expired sterile equipment, anything that cannot lawfully be supplied to another person. Empty medical pouches and field-medical storage gear are fine.

Aerosols — not accepted, mainly because of dangerous-goods transport rules.

Extremist, terrorist and hate-symbol merchandise — no merchandise, flags, patches, uniforms or propaganda displaying prohibited Nazi, terrorist-organisation or hate-group symbols, or any symbol whose trade would be unlawful. We apply a stricter standard than the law. This is a tactical and outdoor marketplace, not a venue for extremist memorabilia.

Stolen property — you must own the item or have legal authority to sell it. If we reasonably suspect stolen, unlawfully retained or unlawfully possessed goods we may remove the listing, suspend the account, request evidence of ownership, preserve account information and report to an appropriate authority. Moderating a listing does not decide guilt or ownership.

Camouflage clothing

Owning and trading most camouflage clothing is lawful. Never use clothing, insignia or credentials to pass yourself off as a serving member of the ADF, police or any other authority. Buy it, collect it. Don't impersonate anyone.

What listing review does and doesn't mean

What we do — you create the listing with photos and details; we review the advertisement against these rules; we approve it, ask for more, reject it or later remove it; an approved advertisement becomes visible.

What we don't do — take possession, inspect, authenticate, test, value or confirm the condition of the item; guarantee the description, the seller's ownership, or anyone's trustworthiness; or give a legal opinion on whether an item can be owned, sold, shipped or used in every state or territory. Approval is moderation of an advertisement, not certification of the item.

Buyers: check before you buy

We connect you with the seller. Before buying, consider the condition, whether the photos match, whether the price makes sense, whether serials and labels look genuine, provenance where relevant, recalls, whether you can lawfully own and use it, whether shipping is lawful, and whether you should inspect it in person. For expensive items, inspect locally before paying.

Sellers: you are responsible for what you sell

By listing you confirm that you own the item or have authority to sell it, it is lawful for you to sell, the description is truthful, the photos show the actual item, you have disclosed known defects, you have not hidden markings or provenance issues, and it complies with these rules. Selling interstate? You are responsible for checking the transaction and shipment are lawful there too.

Not sure about an item?

Email support@controlledstores.com.au with photos and a description before listing. We'll tell you whether we'll accept it under our marketplace rules. That's a moderation decision, not legal advice. When in doubt, we take the conservative approach.