Best Time to Buy Clubs?

[Slammin' Sam]

Stay away from Ebay!! To many people get burned trying to save an extra buck! There are plenty of deals at any of the big golf shops.

That is simply ridiculous and uninformed. If you check feedback ratings and stay away from those with less than 100% you'll do just fine. Plenty of the big golf shops also do business on Ebay, like 3 Balls Golf, Dallas Golf, 2nd Swing Golf, etc. Additionally, a buyer who pays with Paypal, which is how the vast majority of transactions are paid for these days, get a money back satisfaction guarantee. I've bought and sold several sets of clubs on Ebay and in 11 years I have NEVER been burned. Again, it's a matter of checking feedback ratings.

[GaijinGolfer]

It depends upon how the climate is where you are, but Ive found that you can get some awesome deals during the winter when the golf season has somewhat slowed down.
Ive scored some awesome Ebay deals during the winter months. You just need to be careful and only buy from reputable Ebay sellers (3balls, globalgolf, etc) and people who have very high ratings (97% or higher).

[mcotter]

duh....when your old lady says it's okay ok course.

[CWHolland]

That is simply ridiculous and uninformed. If you check feedback ratings and stay away from those with less than 100% you'll do just fine. Plenty of the big golf shops also do business on Ebay, like 3 Balls Golf, Dallas Golf, 2nd Swing Golf, etc. Additionally, a buyer who pays with Paypal, which is how the vast majority of transactions are paid for these days, get a money back satisfaction guarantee. I've bought and sold several sets of clubs on Ebay and in 11 years I have NEVER been burned. Again, it's a matter of checking feedback ratings.

Simply said, Ebay is high risk. You can go through the forum and see all the post about counterfeit clubs being bought off of Ebay. People who are first time buyers or uneducated in the use of Ebay are vulnerable to these scammers. I've been using Ebay as long as you have and I have not been burned yet. Just knowing these scammers are out there waiting to take advantage of someone would be enough reason to maybe shop somewhere else. I think you can find good deals at place such as Rockbottom, Golfsmith, Edwin Watts, Golf Galaxy ect.

[Slammin' Sam]

I don't disagree that there are very many good and reputable sellers outside of Ebay. There are also many good and reputable sellers who do business on Ebay. Despite a few scam artists, Ebay is not the high risk proposition you make it out to be. If one exercises an appropriate amount of caution and does business with reputable buyers they won't get burned. That's where the use of feedback ratings is important, and Ebay has done a lot to make sure that those who sell counterfeit clubs get identified and weeded out quickly. The advantages of shopping Ebay far outweigh the negatives.

[WUTiger]

I agree with the idea of looking on Ebay because I regularly check to see what's available in Ping clubs and I've seen some pretty good deals. ...

eBay not a good idea at this time since OP is just beginning to play golf. He needs help in selecting his first set. A couple of years down the road once he gets a feel for the different equipment, eBay might be OK. But, you don't get to test out eBay clubs before you buy them.

For a beginner, PAIS is OK - but an actual golf shop which could actually give him a basic fitting would be better.

[X-Factor611]

im not suggesting eBay for the OP, but i just bought a new set of Titleist AP2's for $700.

They seller (garagesalegolf) had 100% feedback, and i was pretty sure they were't fakes because of the fact that they were left handed. He has a lot of clubs to sell, for cheap. New Callaway X-Forged for $500 (Buy it now).

So if anyone else is looking for new clubs i highly recommend looking at this sellers items!

[Slammin' Sam]

eBay not a good idea at this time since OP is just beginning to play golf. He needs help in selecting his first set. A couple of years down the road once he gets a feel for the different equipment, eBay might be OK. But, you don't get to test out eBay clubs before you buy them.

I don't have any serious disagreement with that part although I think a beginner could get a fitting at a golf shop and use that information to buy clubs on Ebay. What I DO have disagreement with is ad hominem remarks that Ebay is high risk and everyone who buys golf clubs online gets ripped off. That's simply not true if you watch what you're doing.

Based on your logic though, I don't see PIAS as a viable alternative - as a general rule their staff is not going to be as knowledgeable as the staff at your average golf shop. It's been my experience that many of their sales people don't necessarily know a lot about golf.