eBay sellers offering to order clubs

[jtgolfer]

I recently learned that my Mizuno MP-53 irons are counterfeit. I'd like to have the real ones but cost is an issue.

Has anyone ordered from these eBay sellers who allow you to specify flex, shaft type, grip type, etc. I recently called up one of these people me and he said all of his stuff is 100 percent authentic. But there were some red flags (such as where does he get the used heads) and no way am I going to buy from him or any of there other sellers.

The lure, of course, is the cost. And if they're not legit, why does eBay allow them to do business.

Thanks.

[Motley01]

Just STAY AWAY from EBAY when buying golf equipment.

I also, just recently, got burned on ebay, when I bought a new Titleist 910D3 counterfeit fake club.

I learned my lesson. I will NEVER buy any golf equipment on ebay as long as I live.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Stay away.  You've already been burned once.  EBay has no way of policing those scam artists.  There are too many of them.

[Ernest Jones]

Originally Posted by Motley01

Just STAY AWAY from EBAY when buying golf equipment.

I also, just recently, got burned on ebay, when I bought a new Titleist 910D3 counterfeit fake club.

I learned my lesson. I will NEVER buy any golf equipment on ebay as long as I live.

A counterfeit fake club? Does that mean it's real?

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by Motley01

Just STAY AWAY from EBAY when buying golf equipment.

I also, just recently, got burned on ebay, when I bought a new Titleist 910D3 counterfeit fake club.

I learned my lesson. I will NEVER buy any golf equipment on ebay as long as I live.

BAD ADVICE. Ebay is a FANTASTIC to buy golf clubs if you shop wisely.

Stick to places like globalgolf and 3balls and you'll save thousands.

Don't buy from people offering new, current, poipular clubs at well below retail.

[Motley01]

Originally Posted by Shorty

BAD ADVICE. Ebay is a FANTASTIC to buy golf clubs if you shop wisely.

Stick to places like globalgolf and 3balls and you'll save thousands.

Don't buy from people offering new, current, poipular clubs at well below retail.

Save thousands? Hah, give me a break. Sure there are legitmate sellers on ebay. But the prices are pretty much the same, that you can buy them at a retail store.

Like this one here? Ya save thousands, right here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Titleist-Golf-AP2-712-Irons-Set-3-PW-STIFF-S300-/190676775210?pt=Golf_Clubs&hash;=item2c6538b12a

You are NOT going to save thousands. Trust me, just go to a local golf shop and have the piece of mind that you have authentic clubs.

[Motley01]

Originally Posted by Ernest Jones

A counterfeit fake club? Does that mean it's real?

Fake ¹ (f k)

adj.

Having a false or misleading appearance; fraudulent.

n.

1. One that is not authentic or genuine; a sham.

2. Sports A brief feint or aborted change of direction intended to mislead one's opponent or the opposing team.

v. faked , fak·ing , fakes

v. tr.

1. To contrive and present as genuine; counterfeit.

[socks and shoes]

Originally Posted by Motley01

Fake 1  (fk)

adj.

Having a false or misleading appearance; fraudulent.

n.

1. One that is not authentic or genuine; a sham.

2. Sports A brief feint or aborted change of direction intended to mislead one's opponent or the opposing team.

v. faked, fak·ing, fakes

v.tr.

1. To contrive and present as genuine; counterfeit.

He was making the joke that you basically used a double negative.

[Gresh24]

ebay is a great place to get clubs.  But I have only saved hundreds...

[Shorty]

Originally Posted by Motley01

Save thousands? Hah, give me a break. Sure there are legitmate sellers on ebay. But the prices are pretty much the same, that you can buy them at a retail store.

Like this one here? Ya save thousands, right here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Titleist-Golf-AP2-712-Irons-Set-3-PW-STIFF-S300-/190676775210?pt=Golf_Clubs&hash;=item2c6538b12a

You are NOT going to save thousands. Trust me, just go to a local golf shop and have the piece of mind that you have authentic clubs.

I have personally saved thousands over the last five years.

A dozen or so used but in new condition vokey wedges at $60 that here were $199.

Several iron sets that I got for under $400 that were over a $1000 retail.

Well over a dozen used but in new condition drivers and fairways at about $100- $150 that retail at $300 to $500.

Putters - don't get me started. At least 10 putters for between $80 and $150 that retail for $300 plus.

I sell them on.

Even if they were for personal use only over a decade or so you would save thousands.

I'm not talking about on one set.

[x129]

I assume you are talking about a guy like ebay listing . The prices are good (about 200 bucks less than retail) but not insane. I can easily imagine this being ok if the clubs have a 30% or so market up so that this guy is making 100 bucks or so per set for the effort of ordering from mizuno and then shipping to  you.  My understanding is that they really are not used clubs. That hit once crap is to work around MAP. If you google this particular seller you will see a lot of hits on golf boards from 3+ years ago with lots of positive responses.

I would think having to make that many skus of fakes would be a nightmare also. I would imagine there are more fakes of default sets (i.e. you want to buy the exact setup that Dicks sell) and any listing that says "I won this club" or "It was a gift" is always something to worry about..  But if you want something to worry about: fake club scam .

Originally Posted by jtgolfer

I recently learned that my Mizuno MP-53 irons are counterfeit. I'd like to have the real ones but cost is an issue.

Has anyone ordered from these eBay sellers who allow you to specify flex, shaft type, grip type, etc. I recently called up one of these people me and he said all of his stuff is 100 percent authentic. But there were some red flags (such as where does he get the used heads) and no way am I going to buy from him or any of there other sellers.

The lure, of course, is the cost. And if they're not legit, why does eBay allow them to do business.

Thanks.

[Motley01]

Originally Posted by socks and shoes

He was making the joke that you basically used a double negative.

LOL so was I? I forgot the / in between the two words.

[MSDOGS1976]

I've never had a problem. I usually buy single clubs, some used but a few new ones. Usually from Dallas golf, 3balls and other sellers with lots of transactions.

[clubchamp]

Ebay is fine as long as you use caution and don't buy from people with little feedback. There are a lot of reputable sellers with a lot of feedback but just make sure you check the feedback to see what the negatives are about. Plus using PayPal protects you very well so you can always file a dispute if something doesn't check out.

[cliffj]

I have used Ebay and PayPal quite a bit and never had a problem.  In fact, TaylorMade has a list out there that shows their authorized sellers on Ebay.  I have personally used one of them (golfseller) to buy many things, mostly mizuno over the years.

http://taylormadegolf.com/customerService-faqs/customerService-faqs,default,pg.html#ebay

[newtogolf]

Shorty is right you can save significant amounts of money (yes thousands over time) on Ebay if you shop there wisely.  As he suggests, 3balls, globalgolf, dallasgolf, 2ndswing, are all excellent sources for pre-owned and discontinued clubs.  If you're considering a purchase from someone other than a known store like previously mentioned you need to do your homework.  Is it a private seller or business, does the business have a real web presence, are they based in the US (many fake sellers have domain names registered in China), how long has the site been in operation (the longer the better), what is they Ebay ratings, how many transactions have they done.

Most importantly you have to apply the acid test, "Is the deal too good to be true", if the price on new model clubs (Mizuno MP-59, Titleiist 712, etc) is discounted by more than 30%, the answer is yes, stay away.

[inthehole]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

ebay is a great place to get clubs.  But I have only saved hundreds...

I'll second that ... but one clarification is necessary - eBay is the place to buy USED clubs, buying alledged new clubs on eBay is a gamble.    If you pay used club prices, even if it's counterfit, your loss is far less.      I've bought so many used clubs on eBay its embarassing ...

[jtgolfer]

I started this post and want to update it.

An eBay seller named GolfSalesKing gave me his phone number and I called him and asked him several questions. He said his clubs, shafts, grips, etc., are authentic. The iron set (Mizuno MP-53) would have a serial number on it and yes, I could call Mizuno. I asked him where he got the heads for the clubs, but he wouldn't tell me.

In regard to calling Mizuno he said something that baffled me — "If you call Mizuno and give them the number, don't tell them that the clubs are new."

Today I called Mizuno US and asked them about this statement. The Mizuno rep said the guy could be buying the components from Mizuno but he can not sell them as new because he's not an authorized dealer.

Maybe I'm missing something or didn't understand something, but it seems if Mizuno wants to protect their brand they wouldn't do this.