Buying Irons On Ebay

**gulfsidebo** · October 15, 2007

I have bought and sold things on ebay over the last few years with no problems so I decided a shot at some 7 year old Ben Hogan forged irons (to help improve my game a bit) off of Ebay. The seller had good reviews so I figured...I have little to lose. I won the auction and they sold for $39 and $17 shipping. Boy, was this a mistake. I should have known better. It's been just about 3 weeks and I have yet to receive my irons. The seller has been poor at communicating with me and I have had to escalate this to Paypal for a dispute. The seller claims the US Post Office has lost them. The post office says chances are that the seller never sent them. There is no proof the seller can provide that he actually sent the clubs. I think he just wanted more money for the clubs and decided he rather resell them while keeping my money....or....he didn't send them yet, intends to and is blaming it on the Post Office (and they will magically appear in the next day or two).

If you are buying clubs online through a private individual, be sure to demand shipment only with insurance and a tracking number. Sometimes it might be better to just buy them locally.

Anybody else had luck?

**VanillaEps** · October 15, 2007

I don't have a specific story to share but ebay is not what it used to be. There are more sharks and fakes in ebay than I care to discuss. I use ebay to find out market prices and going rates on certain items, but I don't think I would ever buy from ebay.

**jaragon126** · October 15, 2007

I too have bought & sold quite a few things on ebay over the years ... and have definately run into some individuals that didn't take it upon themselves to provide the greatest customer service.

I think alot of people think of selling items on ebay as a yard sale rather than more of a business. I know when I sell something, I promise to ship within 2 days of receiving payment ... and I provide a shipment tracking number to my customers as well.

I have had to escalate issues to ebay and paypal, and they usually do a good job of handling the issue. The only other thing you can do is leave negative feedback & comments about that seller so that other people are warned.

I have never bought anything over a couple of hundred dollars off ebay though either ... if something is that expensive then I usually like to buy it from a reputable store (online or offline) that I know isn't going to be unreachable the next day.

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal on the clubs gulfsidebo, maybe waiting a while longer for them to be shipped is a small price to pay for getting such a great deal? :) In any event, be sure to report the seller & leave negative feedback for them!

**alf174** · October 15, 2007

I have to agree that you have to be much more careful that a couple of years ago. Recently I picked up a new #3 BUL fairway wood for a total of $70; their asking $199 in the stores. I was waiting to get stung due to the low transaction price but the seller pulled through.

I hope the seller comes through but it doesn't sound good. I would go through the Paypal claims process first before leaving negative feedback.

**kfowler** · October 15, 2007

Was it send by regular USPS? If you don't use Priority, it can take a long time shipping a package my standard mail. I sent a book to my parents in Florida from Michigan and it took a month to get there. I'll never do that again.

I've bought and sold a fair amount on eBay over the years. Even really expensive items. I've yet to have a bad experience other than a slow shipper. In fact I'm waiting on a hybrid I just bought this weekend. That being said, there's always a chance you'll run into an issue.

Hope it works out for you.

**Jaybone** · October 16, 2007

I use ebay to buy and sell all the time. I got stung with a counterfiet club,but it was partially my fault I wasn't paying attention when I was shopping and didn't bid carefully enough. But it worked out in the end.

Otherwise I have had nothing but decent experiences with both buyers and sellers. In fact I just picked up a Cobra M Speed in great shape for $150 shipped. I like trying things and with deals like that its hard to pass up.

**green6767** · October 16, 2007

Actually, Im dealing with the exact same thing. I paid for an item (over $850 item) on September 24th. Seller was reputable: 99% positive feedback rating of 328, Powerseller, runs a business off Ebay.

Package was Priority, Insured, and Confirmation signatured from USPS. I did get an email from the seller (automated Paypal message) on Oct. 3 giving me a tracking number for USPS. However, this does NOT mean the seller has actually shipped the item. Its the "electronic information received" email. Basically its saying that the seller is "intending" to ship the package and here's your tracking number when it does. The tracking number only will tell you when a delivery attempt was attempted and/or a signature has been accepted...doesn't actually track the package. I check everyday on the tracking number and the status never changes.

Worst part...the seller will not contact me back no matter what I do. Call or email. I've even looked up his house number and left a message there. NO REPLY.

I hope you get your problem worked out too, I've had my problem escalated to the 2nd level in Paypal now for a couple days and still nothing has happened.

**Leek** · October 16, 2007

I've bouht and sold a number of things on ebay. I've only had one small problem and it was no big deal. I "bought" something at a ridiculous price. The seller never claimed my paypal payment and never shipped. In 30 days my money was returned by paypal. No big deal.

On the other hand, I've bought about 40 things on ebay with no other issues.

ser182 · October 16, 2007

i bought my set of Adams A2 on ebay with no problems. you just have to know who to buy from. I make sure I go through paypal so I can claim if needed. just make your claim and get your money back. Oh and alway use your Credit card. you can alway refuse payment with them.

**hurley9192** · October 16, 2007

I've bought a ton of things on ebay with little problem. Typically, I won't buy from someone that won't ship UPS or FedEx with a tracking number or if they have high shipping costs.

We've been burned a couple times, but always got our money back from paypal. I wouldn't pay with anything but paypal.

I did have one guy say I took too long shipping when he bought something on Saturday, I printed the label on Sunday and shipped it Monday.

**ripsid** · October 16, 2007

I've been lucky, had 2 issues on ebay and the 1 was resolved very well and the other..well the woman was a bravo-india-tango-charlie-hotel... Stiffed me on a video game for my kid, and refused to refund the cash. My fault though on that I guess..

As far as golf gear, I've had great luck on ebay! I like you, just bought some Hogan forged irons and aside from bad grips, they're in nice condition! Not bad for $25, imo...

I would like to sell, some more stuff onthere but I end up screwing myself each time..I undersold myself inadvertantly a couple times. Really pissed me off.

SiD

**Rynofskie** · October 16, 2007

I bought my Adams Irons off ebay with no problems, and I saved a bundle too....

**TourSpoon** · October 16, 2007

I have bought some shoes and a club with no problems. I didn't like the club so I sold it the following week for a $5 loss. I shipped it to the new buyer by US Mail and it took 7 days to get from Florida to Maine.

**gulfsidebo** · October 17, 2007

Well, there has been absolutely no communication coming from the seller so I escalated it to "claims" at Paypal. He buys/sells on Ebay often so I don't think I will have a difficult time getting my refund. In the event that the clubs eventually show up, I will be very happy. There are many other clubs out there so I'm not set on these obviously. I'm just disappointed how it all ended up, ya know?

**gulfsidebo** · October 20, 2007

Update:

After I escalated the issue with Paypal Claims, the clubs magically appeared at my doorstep 2 days later with a shipping date that matched the day after I created a dispute with Paypal. I knew he hadn't shipped them. It was probably due to laziness or forgetting. I am very happy to have the clubs and I look forward to swinging them. They are in great shape and exactly as described.

Question...
They are Ben Hogan forged irons. There is a club with the name of "E" or "Edge". Is this equivalent to a Pitching Wedge? Thanks in advance.

Trackerdude · October 20, 2007

It's hard not to buy from Ebay...the iron set I just bought came in around 1/2 off retail. Brand new, not a scratch, and no problems. I've not been "had" yet, but do pay close attention to the number of feedbacks given - always looking for somewhere in the thousands. I also spend time to find and review all neutral and negative feedback.

**golf_junkie27** · October 21, 2007

The "only" problem I had on Ebay was that the shafts described on the irons I purchased were false. I knew I was going to get the irons adjusted for my swing, however, the shafts were both short and were not as described.

Fortunately, I only paid $290 for a complete set of Mizuno MP32's. The upgrade in shafts to Project X Rifle 6.0, 2 iron-PW was another $600.

All in all, a good deal. I just wished the shafts were as described. That's been a huge problem and the fact that aftermarket changes are spotty, to say the least.

**hurley9192** · October 22, 2007

The E wedge is the Hogan nomenclature for their Pitching Wedge...they use F for Gap wedge.

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Buying Irons On Ebay

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