Yoga Mat Clearance Guide — When and Where to Find the Deepest Discounts

Here’s something that took me years to fully understand: the best yoga mat deals don’t come from sales. They come from clearance. There’s a difference. A sale is a temporary price reduction on current inventory. Clearance is a permanent markdown — the brand or retailer wants that mat gone, and the price reflects how badly they want it gone. The discounts are deeper, the inventory is scarcer, and the strategy is entirely different.

I’ve bought Manduka PROs for $65. I’ve bought Jade Harmonies for $40. I’ve bought a Lululemon The Mat for $48. Every single one of those purchases came from a clearance channel, not a sale. This guide is everything I know about finding genuine yoga mat clearance deals — when clearance happens, where to look, what to look for, and what to avoid.

What Exactly Is Clearance?

Clearance is inventory liquidation. A product goes to clearance for one of four reasons:

The model is being discontinued or refreshed. Manduka updates the PRO’s color lineup every couple of years. When they do, last season’s colors go to clearance. Same mat, different color.
Overstock after a seasonal demand spike. Yoga mats are seasonal products. Brands stockpile inventory for January’s resolution rush. When demand doesn’t match the forecast, the surplus gets cleared in February and March.
The product is a customer return or open box. Someone bought it, unrolled it, didn’t like the feel, and returned it. Retailers can’t sell it as new, so it goes to clearance or a used-gear section.
Packaging damage or cosmetic imperfection. The box got crushed in the warehouse. The mat has a minor cosmetic flaw that doesn’t affect function. It can’t be sold at full retail, so it’s cleared.

Understanding which category a clearance mat falls into tells you what kind of deal you’re getting and what kind of risk you’re taking.

The Clearance Calendar: When to Hunt

Clearance is seasonal in a way that regular sales aren’t. There are specific windows when clearance inventory surges.

January 15 – February 28: Post-Resolution Overstock

This is the single biggest clearance window for yoga mats. Here’s what happens: retailers and brands order extra inventory in October and November, expecting a January spike driven by New Year’s resolutions. That spike does happen — yoga mat sales in January are roughly 40-60% higher than the monthly average. But the spike is shorter and shallower than most inventory planners predict.

By January 15, the resolution rush is already tapering off. By February 1, sales are back to baseline. But the inventory that was ordered in October is still arriving. Warehouses are full. Something has to move.

This is when you find Manduka eKO mats at 30% off through Amazon Warehouse, Jade mats in REI’s used gear section, and Gaiam mats at Target for $12 on an endcap clearance rack. The discounts deepen through February as retailers get more aggressive about freeing up warehouse space.

I set a calendar reminder every year for January 10: “Check yoga mat clearance.” I’ve scored my best deals in the back half of January.

March – April: Spring Cleaning and New Model Intake

Spring is when yoga brands launch new products and refresh existing product lines. Manduka typically introduces new PRO colors in March. Liforme releases limited editions in spring. When new inventory arrives, old inventory gets marked down.

This window is especially good for color-sensitive buyers. If you don’t care whether your mat is “Ocean Depth Blue” or “Midnight Navy,” but the brand discontinued Ocean Depth Blue and it’s now 40% off, you just saved $40 because of a pigment change.

September: Back-to-Studio Season Over

The late-summer back-to-studio bump — as yoga studios ramp up fall schedules and students return to in-person classes — creates a small inventory swell that corrects in September. It’s not as big as the January correction, but clearance deals do appear as retailers adjust their inventory positions for the holiday season that starts in November.

August – October: The Pre-Holiday Clearance Runway

Between back-to-studio and Black Friday, retailers run clearance to clear shelf space for holiday inventory. This window is less about yoga-specific clearance and more about general retail inventory management, but yoga mats get swept up in it. Target and Walmart are especially active with clearance in September and October as they make room for holiday merchandise.

The Holiday Return Wave: December 26 – January 10

People return gifts. High-ticket yoga mats — Manduka PROs, Liformes, Lululemon mats — get returned because the recipient already has one, or it’s the wrong thickness, or it’s the wrong color. These returns flood into Amazon Warehouse, REI’s used gear section, and brand outlet sections in the week after Christmas.

The window is narrow — about two weeks — but the selection during this window is the best of the year for open-box and customer-return mats. I check Amazon Warehouse daily from December 26 through January 5.

Where to Find Clearance Yoga Mats: Channel by Channel

Amazon Warehouse Deals

Amazon Warehouse sells customer returns, warehouse-damaged items, and open-box products. These are the same products sold as new on Amazon, graded by condition and sold at a discount.

The grades work like this:

Renewed: Inspected and tested to work and look like new. Minimal to no signs of wear.
Used — Like New: Packaging may be damaged, but the item itself is pristine. This is the grade you want.
Used — Very Good: Item has been used but is in good condition. May have minor cosmetic imperfections. Packaging may be damaged.
Used — Good: Item shows moderate signs of use. Cosmetic imperfections are visible. Packaging may be damaged or missing.
Used — Acceptable: Item is fairly worn but continues to function properly. Significant cosmetic damage.

For yoga mats, I only buy “Like New” or “Very Good.” A yoga mat is a personal item — you’re going to be in close contact with it for hours every week. “Good” condition usually means someone’s been sweating on it for a while, and “Acceptable” means it’s seen heavy use.

My Amazon Warehouse strategy: search for the specific mat you want (e.g., “Manduka PRO 6mm”), then filter by “Used” in the condition selector. Look at the seller — Amazon Warehouse should be the seller. Check the condition notes. If the notes say “Item will come in original packaging. Packaging will be damaged,” that’s ideal — it means the mat itself is fine, just the box got crunched.

Amazon Warehouse prices fluctuate constantly. A Manduka PRO in “Like New” condition might be $95 at noon and $85 at 3 PM. If you see a price you like, buy it — it probably won’t last.

REI Used Gear (Online and In-Store)

REI’s used gear program is the most trustworthy source for returned yoga mats. Their grading is conservative — what REI calls “Moderate Wear” is what Amazon calls “Very Good,” and what REI calls “Excellent” is often indistinguishable from new.

REI’s online used gear section (rei.com/used) has a yoga mat subsection. The inventory turns over frequently — check weekly. In-store, the used gear section (historically the “Garage Sale” area) varies by location. Larger REI stores in metro areas have better selection. Call ahead and ask if they have yoga mats in their used gear section before making the trip.

REI member return policy applies to used gear too: 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you buy a used mat from REI and it’s not what you expected, you can return it.

Manduka’s “Last Chance” Section

Manduka’s website has a “Last Chance” or “Sale” section (manduka.com/collections/sale) that occasionally includes genuine clearance items — discontinued colors, previous-generation models, and factory seconds.

I’ve seen the following in Manduka’s clearance section:

PRO mats in discontinued colors at 20-30% off
eKO mats in previous-season colors at 25-35% off
PRO Travel mats from older production runs at 25% off
Factory seconds (minor cosmetic flaws) at 30-40% off

Manduka’s factory seconds carry the same lifetime warranty as their first-quality mats. The flaws are cosmetic — uneven dye distribution, slight texture variation, a small surface mark. If a color flaw doesn’t bother you, factory seconds are the cheapest way to buy a brand-new Manduka PRO with a full warranty. My Manduka yoga mat review covers the PRO’s value proposition in detail.

Sign up for Manduka’s email list and they’ll notify you when new items hit the clearance section. The good stuff sells out in hours, not days.

TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross

As I mentioned in my where to buy yoga mat guide, discount retailers are the most unpredictable clearance source. You can’t plan on finding a specific mat, but the deals are real when they appear.

My TJ Maxx clearance scores over the last two years:

Manduka eKO Lite 1.5mm Travel Mat: $19.99 (MSRP: $48)
Gaiam Premium 6mm: $11.99 (MSRP: $30)
Jade Harmony 5mm: $39.99 (MSRP: $95) — this was the best TJ Maxx find I’ve ever had; I suspect it was a factory second that didn’t pass Jade’s QC
Manduka PRO 6mm: $69.99 (MSRP: $140) — Olive Green color, which Manduka had recently discontinued

Notice the pattern: these are all recognizable brands at 50-60% off, but I checked TJ Maxx roughly once a month and found something worth buying maybe four times total over two years. The hit rate is low. But when it hits, it hits hard.

Lululemon “We Made Too Much”

Lululemon’s clearance section (formerly “What the Heck” — again, they should have kept that name) is their permanent markdown area. The Mat 5mm shows up here in seasonal colors, typically at $64-$78 (from $88 MSRP). The markdown is permanent — once something hits “We Made Too Much,” it doesn’t go back to full price.

Lululemon refreshes their sale section every Thursday morning. If you’re looking for a specific color at a clearance price, Thursday is your day. Popular colors (black, navy, dark olive, white) almost never hit the sale section. But seasonal colors — brights, prints, limited editions — cycle through regularly.

My Lululemon yoga mat review covers whether The Mat is worth buying at any price. Short version: if you like Lululemon’s surface feel — it’s a specific polyurethane top layer that’s different from both Manduka’s closed-cell PVC and Jade’s natural rubber — it’s worth hunting the sale section.

Local Yoga Studio Closeouts

When a yoga studio closes, upgrades their rental fleet, or changes their retail partnerships, they sell off inventory. I’ve bought two studio-clearance mats and both were excellent deals.

The first was a Jade Harmony from a studio that was switching from Jade to Manduka for their rental fleet. They sold their used Jade mats — roughly 6 months of use each, professionally cleaned — for $25 each. I bought two and gave one to a friend who was starting yoga.

The second was a B Mat that a studio had ordered in the wrong thickness. They couldn’t return it to the distributor because the shipping cost ate the refund, so they sold the three mats for $40 each. The B Mat is a $75 mat, and these were brand new.

How to find studio closeouts: follow local yoga studios on Instagram and Facebook. They announce clearance sales on social media. You can also email or call and ask if they have any retired rental mats for sale — you’d be surprised how many studios have a stack of them in a storage closet and would be happy to sell them for $20-$30.

How to Inspect a Clearance Yoga Mat

Clearance mats carry risk. Here’s my inspection checklist, adapted from years of buying returned and discontinued mats:

1. Unroll It Completely

Don’t just peek at the top layer through a crack in the packaging. Unroll the entire mat on a clean floor. Check every inch of the surface. Look for:

Cuts, gashes, or deep scratches — these will worsen with use
Areas where the top layer is separating from the core
Uneven thickness — if one end is noticeably thicker than the other, the mat has worn unevenly
Discoloration that’s inconsistent (a uniform color change is fine; splotchy discoloration suggests moisture damage)

2. Smell It

This matters more than you might think. A new mat has a specific smell that fades within a few days to a week. A used mat should smell clean — maybe faintly of the original material, maybe a little like a cleaning product.

Warning smells:

Musty or mildew smell — the mat was stored damp and may have mold inside the material structure. This is nearly impossible to fully remove.
Strong chemical smell that’s different from the normal “new mat” smell — the previous owner may have used harsh cleaning products that damaged the surface.
Heavy perfume or essential oil smell — someone used scented mat cleaner excessively. This is technically fine but annoying, and the scent can linger for months.

3. Test the Grip

Rub your palm across the surface in both directions. Does it catch predictably? A heavily used mat will have smooth, polished-looking patches where feet and hands repeatedly land. These smooth patches have reduced grip, and they won’t come back — the top layer has physically worn down.

If you’re buying online and can’t touch the mat first, ask specifically about wear spots. A seller who says “some minor surface wear” is being honest. A seller who says “like new” when pictures show visible shine on the standing areas is not being honest.

4. Verify Authenticity

Counterfeit yoga mats show up in clearance channels too — especially on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and sometimes in discount retailers whose supply chain isn’t tightly controlled.

Authenticity checks for Manduka:

The Manduka PRO logo should be embossed, not printed. Run your finger over it.
The surface of a genuine PRO should feel slightly textured, not perfectly smooth.
The edge should be neatly trimmed with no fraying.
The thickness should match the label — bring a ruler or use the mat’s own stated dimensions to verify.

Authenticity checks for Liforme:

The alignment markers should be perfectly straight and evenly spaced.
The “AlignForMe” logo should be crisp, not blurry.
The mat should have a distinct layered edge (polyurethane top layer + rubber base).
The color should match what Liforme actually sells — check their website to confirm the color exists.

If you’re buying in person and something feels off about the branding, trust your gut. I’ve walked away from deals that were probably legitimate because I couldn’t verify certain details, and I’ve never regretted being cautious.

5. Check the Return Policy

Clearance items often have different return policies than full-price items. Before you buy, confirm:

Is it final sale or returnable?
If returnable, what’s the window?
Are there restocking fees?
Does the seller cover return shipping?

Amazon Warehouse offers the same 30-day return window as regular Amazon purchases. REI used gear has a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Manduka’s clearance section follows their standard return policy (30 days). Discount retailers typically offer 30 days with receipt, but opened mats may be subject to different policies — ask at the register.

Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and OfferUp have zero return protection. The sale is final. Inspect thoroughly before handing over cash.

Clearance Warning Signs: When to Walk Away

Not every clearance deal is a deal. Here are red flags that signal you should pass:

The price is too good. If someone is selling a “brand new Manduka PRO” for $35, it’s either stolen, counterfeit, or not a Manduka PRO. The clearance price floor for a genuine Manduka PRO — used, discontinued color, packaging damaged — is about $65. Below that, something is wrong.

The seller has multiple “new” premium mats. A Facebook Marketplace seller listing three brand-new Liformes and five Manduka PROs is not a legitimate seller. They’re either selling counterfeits or fencing stolen goods. Either way, walk away.

The mat has been stored in a hot or damp location. Yoga mats don’t handle extreme storage conditions well. Natural rubber mats (Jade, Manduka eKO) degrade in heat. PVC mats (Manduka PRO) can get gummy if stored damp. If the mat feels sticky or tacky in a way that doesn’t feel like normal grip, it’s been improperly stored.

The seller won’t unroll it for inspection. If you’re buying in person and the seller insists the mat has never been unrolled or won’t let you inspect it fully, something’s wrong. A legitimate seller with a legitimate clearance mat won’t care if you unroll it on a clean floor.

The discount is just the normal Amazon sale price. I covered this in my yoga mat sale deals page, but it bears repeating: not every “clearance” tag means a clearance price. If the mat is sitting at $108 and the clearance tag says “was $140, now 23% off,” but that $108 is just the normal everyday Amazon price, you’re not finding a clearance deal — you’re finding marketing. Check CamelCamelCamel before you buy.

Specific Brands and Their Clearance Patterns

Manduka

Manduka offers the best clearance-to-quality ratio because their mats are so durable that even a used one has years of life left. A used Manduka PRO is still under lifetime warranty — the warranty follows the mat, not the original purchaser. A PRO with a discontinued color, minor cosmetic flaw, or light use is functionally identical to a new one for $60-$90.

The best clearance channels for Manduka: Amazon Warehouse (consistent availability), Manduka’s Last Chance section (discontinued colors), REI Used Gear (best condition grading), TJ Maxx/Marshalls (rarest but deepest discounts).

Liforme

Liforme clearance is nearly nonexistent. They don’t sell through clearance channels, they don’t have a used gear program, and their limited edition colors sell out at full price before they’d ever be discounted. The closest thing to a Liforme clearance deal is their Black Friday pricing at $119-$125 for the Original, which I cover in my Black Friday yoga mat deals guide.

If you see a “clearance” Liforme on Amazon or a discount site, it is almost certainly counterfeit. Liforme clearance is not a real category.

Jade Yoga

Jade mats, like Manduka, show up in REI used gear and occasionally at discount retailers. Jade’s natural rubber material has a shorter lifespan than PVC — a heavily used Jade mat from clearance might only have 6-12 months of good grip left. When evaluating a used Jade, pay extra attention to the grip test and look for smooth, polished wear spots in the standing areas.

Gaiam

Gaiam clearance is everywhere and the discounts are deep because the starting price is already low. A Gaiam mat that lists at $30 and normally sells for $20 might hit $8-$10 on clearance. At that price, it’s an impulse buy. Gaiam clearance happens at Target (endcap clearance racks, look for the red clearance stickers), Walmart (seasonal clearance aisles), Amazon Warehouse, and TJ Maxx/Marshalls.

The question with Gaiam clearance isn’t whether you can find a deal — it’s whether you want a Gaiam mat at any price. My Gaiam yoga mat review and cheap vs. expensive yoga mat comparison will help you decide.

When Clearance Is Worth It vs. When to Buy New

Clearance isn’t always the right play. Here’s my decision framework:

Buy clearance if:

You’re flexible on color and don’t care about having the newest model
The mat is from a brand with durable construction (Manduka, Jade, Lululemon)
You can inspect the mat in person or buy from a source with a good return policy (Amazon Warehouse, REI)
The discount is 30% or more below the typical selling price (not MSRP — the real price it sells for day to day)
You have the patience to check clearance channels regularly for weeks or months

Buy new if:

You want a specific color that’s currently in production and popular
The clearance discount is only 10-20%, which is comparable to a standard sale
You’re buying from a brand that rarely offers clearance anyway (Liforme)
You’re buying a budget mat where the absolute savings are small (saving $4 on a $20 mat isn’t worth the clearance hunt)
You need the mat for a specific start date (new class, trip, gift) and can’t wait for clearance inventory to appear

My Clearance Scorecard

To give you a sense of what’s realistically achievable, here are my actual clearance purchases over the past three years and what I paid:

Product	Channel	Condition	Price Paid	MSRP	Savings
Manduka PRO 6mm (Olive)	TJ Maxx	New, discontinued color	$69.99	$140	$70.01
Manduka eKO 5mm (Thunder)	Amazon Warehouse	Like New, damaged box	$42	$88	$46
Jade Harmony 5mm (Midnight)	Studio closeout	Used 6 months, cleaned	$25	$95	$70
B Mat 4mm (Black)	Studio closeout	New, wrong thickness ordered	$40	$75	$35
Gaiam Premium 6mm (Teal)	Target clearance	New, endcap clearance	$9.98	$30	$20.02
Lululemon The Mat 5mm (Lunar New Year print)	Lululemon WMTM	New, seasonal print	$64	$88	$24

That’s $250.97 spent for $516 worth of mats — a 51% average discount. It took patience. The Manduka PRO at TJ Maxx required roughly 10 trips to TJ Maxx over 8 months before I found it. The Jade Harmony required staying in touch with a studio owner and asking at the right time. The Gaiam was pure luck — I was buying socks at Target and walked past the clearance endcap.

The Bottom Line

Clearance shopping for yoga mats is a patience game with high upside. The best clearance finds happen during two main windows — late January through February and late December through early January — and the best sources are Amazon Warehouse, REI Used Gear, and discount retailers. Manduka is the best clearance brand because their mats are so durable that used condition doesn’t significantly impact performance or lifespan.

If you’re willing to check clearance channels regularly and you’re flexible on color, you can build a premium yoga mat collection at 50% or more off retail. I’ve done it. The mats I use daily right now — a Manduka PRO and a Jade Harmony — together cost me $94.97. Their combined MSRP is $235. That’s the clearance difference.

Before you start hunting, make sure you know which mat you want. My yoga mat buying guide will help. If you’re torn between saving money and buying quality, my cheap vs. expensive yoga mat breakdown walks through that decision. And when you’re ready to know if a deal is actually a deal, my yoga mat sale deals page tracks current prices so you can compare clearance against sales in real time.

One last thing: when you find a genuine clearance deal, buy it immediately. The mat that’s $65 at 10 AM is sold by 10:30. Clearance inventory doesn’t restock — it’s gone when it’s gone, and the person after you will buy it if you don’t.