Ebay "new" irons

[AidenSmith]

Hi,

I posted this originally in the counterfiet golf clubs thread, but thought it deserved a thread of its own, not least because it doesn't per se concern "counterfeit" clubs.

Anyway, I've just purchased some MP32s from ebay. They were described as "brand new". I am new to ebay, but everything about the seller looked legitimate. However, I have subsequently noticed that the seller has purchased a few sets of MP32s from 3ballsgolf. The sets he bought are described as "as new", which means very good, but ultimately are second hand.

What do you think? Have I been sold a second hand set as "new". Just if I knew they were second hand, I'd have rathered pay a little bit more and got a genuinely new set.

Any thoughts? Do I have any recourse? Is there any way to check the clubs' provenance using the serial number? (Thanks in advance to anyone taking the time to furnish me with a response.)

[chingali]

If you are happy with the price you paid and they are to your specs then does it matter if they are new or not? However if you aren't happy with the price or the clubs you bought don't fit and you need to spend money having them adjusted then the deal probably wasn't the best.

Either way, as soon as you've been to the range a few times and played a few rounds they are used.

[scooterguitar]

The irons 3balls lists as 9/10 or mint, or similar, they appear to be brand new if I am correct. Likley 3balls, if they are an actual dealer, buys in such large bulk they get much more of a discount. OR possibly if not a dealer, they buy out stores going out of biz, etc. IMO. I see it happen in the music biz all the time.
Now, if 3balls is not a dealer and would be listing them as brand new, then the co. (Mizuno in this case) could take action as 3balls wouldn't be an authorized dealer (Again, no clue if they are or not). So they list them "like new" etc. Happens all the time in guitarland.

Now, someone bought a set from 3balls, could be for a # of reasons. They tried different shafts of the same set and are selling the ones they didn't like. Or they are ebay savvy and figured they could make a few $'s on ebay by buying and reselling.
MY thinking guess is, ebay just ran a 10% off promotion code, so that is a decent discount. I took advantage of it. I bought a set of irons I wanted to try and like from 3balls, they were brand new. I only hit them on the mat one session and decided they weren't for me, so off to ebay and they sold quickly. I told them they were like new and only hit form the mat (honest). In the end, after all fees, I broke even, but I did get to try out a set in my comfort zone.

IF they are as described at a good price, you should be content.
Heck, just email the seller and ask them what is up!

[AidenSmith]

What gets under my skin is that I'd looked at irons described as "as new" by 3balls (what they describe as "grade 6") that were about £60 (after taking delivery and taxes into account) cheaper than what I paid, but I preferred the idea of buying new irons (irrational or not, I prefer that I am the only one to have hit them) and was happy to pay a premium for that. I really hope that this person isn't just buying clubs from 3balls and then selling them on as "brand new" in a bid to make a quick profit, which, the more I think about it, could be the case.

I did email him and he told me they were brand new.

[GaijinGolfer]

Thats the risk of Ebay. Until the item actually arrives, you arent sure exactly of what you are getting.
Ive had good and bad experiences with Ebay. Ive had instances where I bought things for way cheap and was very pleased and I had other instances where the item didnt look quite as good as it did in the pictures on the Ebay listing.
You also had to be careful, because theres a lot of shady people doing business on Ebay.