Counterfeit Golf Clubs on EBay

[shinujk1]

I have been reluctant to buy golf clubs on Ebay b/c of all the counterfeit clubs that are out there and what little you can do if you get one....has anyone had any recent experience with this and it appears that Taylormade seems to be the biggest victim of this problem.....what do u think????

[Dent]

its definatly taylormade, but i think some buyers give you a valid serial code that you can check with. Other than that its just prey and wait for your real or counterfit clubs to arrive at your door.

[The Rambler]

the way to check for counterfeit Ping clubs is to check the shade of blue. if it's more of a "TM r7 draw ladies blue" its fake i've seen many CF's on ebay

[RunOfTheDill]

Yes, I'm also worried about buying wedges on ebay. I can get clevelands cg 10s for like 60 a peice.

[TheSuperCaddy]

hey is rockbottomgolf.com legit? just wondein, cuz i bout cleveland cg2 irons brand new for 290. they came in cleveland boxes, just wanted to make sure.

[digger21]

Theres a good amount of people on ebay that have a legit business when it comes to golf clubs, so you shouldnt even have to worry about fake ones. You can protect yourself by just using your head. READ the auction, CHECK the feedback!!!! Ive bought tons of clubs off ebay including my driver and irons. Dont deal with people who ship from foriegn countries, especially asia.

Also try to stick to people who run a business on ebay and not just single sellers. I can go on there right now and give you a list of 5-10 ebay stores you could buy from with no problem. Just use your head and youll be alright.

[digger21]

hey is rockbottomgolf.com legit? just wondein, cuz i bout cleveland cg2 irons brand new for 290. they came in cleveland boxes, just wanted to make sure.

Yes very legit and very good.

[shinujk1]

the problem is the legit businesses on Ebay are many but their prices are just not competitive with other online retailers like golfsmith, tgw etc...
my friend just bout the Taylormade R7460 driver from a seller who had over 10,000 transactions and when he got it the serial # could not be authenticated from the company.....

rockbottom golf seems legit as they even have 1-800 # and I think they are based out of southern California as I tried to buy through them direct w/o having them ship the product....

[redvet]

I have been reluctant to buy golf clubs on Ebay b/c of all the counterfeit clubs that are out there and what little you can do if you get one....has anyone had any recent experience with this and it appears that Taylormade seems to be the biggest victim of this problem.....what do u think????

I am in the UK and there's lots of counterfeit equipment. One site selling copy Taylormade, Callaway and Yes putters will actually admit that they are not genuine but with others you are taking a chance. I bought a Yes 'Emma' putter some time ago on another EBay site, it had slight quality imperfection on the back which was hardly noticeable but he thing that got my attention was the fact that it should have been face balanced and was slightly toe heavy. Checked the shaft with same model in a pro-shop and found bit less bend which was causing the loss of face balance. Checked with Yes here in UK who told me that quite a few heads which fail quality at the factory find there way onto the market and probably I had got one of these which had been fitted with a non standard shaft (the grip was genuine). I have used the putter now for about 8 weeks and have no problem with it and considering I only paid £34 UK ($50 US I think) I am happy with they buy.

I have a place in Malaysia and on my stays there, playing golf, I have seen some remarkable copies of TM and Callaway equipment, even the hologram certification small stamp on the Odyssey putters have been reproduced to a very high standard.

[ebin]

Common sense eliminates most (if not all) of the problems with buying on eBay. Nearly my entire set of clubs is from eBay - my irons, my driver, my fairway wood and my two Titleist wedges. Every one of them is legit b/c I bought it from a reputable seller on eBay that had good feedback and had been selling for a long time.

I love buying clubs on eBay - I can get them for such a low price that I can sell the club for more than I paid if I find I don't like it. It allows me to try clubs for free.

There's about a dozen or so very legit sellers on eBay for golf equipment that I've seen - I've bought from 3ballsgolf, globalgolfusa, mortongolf, azgolfexchange with zero problems.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

Sadly this is a problem and something you should consider when buying on ebay. However, as the previous poster said, most problems can be easily avoided. Check out feedback, ask questions and only buy something with good quality pictures. You can usually tell if something may be suspicious and if you think it might be, just don't buy it. There are plenty of options on ebay. I've purchased clubs on ebay before too and it's a great way to get good quality product and save some cash. Just be careful. As far as what clubs are counterfeit most, personally I think it's Callaway, and I don't think it's close either. But that's just what I have seen.

[redvet]

Think the point about good photos is a really good one. Seems to me that sellers who use scans the item from maufacturers advertising, rather than a specific photo of the item being sold might well be avoided.

[AndrewM]

Also try to stick to people who run a business on ebay and not just single sellers.

I disagree with that point. Many avid golfers like to try out and change equipment often but cant afford to just let 3, 4, 5 or more new drivers sit in their garage so they ebay what they dont use. I was one of those folks for a long time and had great success with it. In fact all my buddies (who werent ebay savvy) had me help as well.

IMO, better deals are always to be had from those folks because generally they arent trying to cover cost, plus overhead, plus whatever... They just want to get what they can out of their stuff to move on to the next thing. I've had great experiences from businesses as well, so not knocking them, just saying they arent the only way to go. Best advice is to email the seller, ask about the club, and always CHECK FEEDBACK! When I leave feedback I try to leave specific notes about what I received, versus the standard "good item" blah blah... that way anyone looking at my remark will get an accurate feel for what transpired in my case. In addition, dont be afraid of used equipment at the local shop. The golfsmith here in Orlando has decent used equipment at good prices, plus you get to look at and feel what you are buying before you drop your dollars.

[AndrewM]

There's about a dozen or so very legit sellers on eBay for golf equipment that I've seen - I've bought from 3ballsgolf, globalgolfusa,

Ive bought from those two as well and both transactions were flawless.

Globalgolf was one of my first purchases back around 2000 or so

[snaphook]

Taylormade and Callaway, especially drivers.

[Cleveland Gunmetal]

I disagree with that point. Many avid golfers like to try out and change equipment often but cant afford to just let 3, 4, 5 or more new drivers sit in their garage so they ebay what they dont use. I was one of those folks for a long time and had great success with it. In fact all my buddies (who werent ebay savvy) had me help as well.

I will have to agree to disagree on that as well. Personally I prefer, and have had better success, buying from the guy who just enjoys changing equipment every so often and in order to buy something new has to sell what he's got. Businesses are alright but I'd rather buy from an individual. Typically it's not hard to tell who is shady and who is not.

[finalrequiem]

Your best bet, by far, is to buy stuff that is sold as "used", especially from individuals. Most of the fake stuff is being sold as "Brand New", "Mint", etc. and is priced much lower than retail.

[digger21]

I disagree with that point. Many avid golfers like to try out and change equipment often but cant afford to just let 3, 4, 5 or more new drivers sit in their garage so they ebay what they dont use. I was one of those folks for a long time and had great success with it. In fact all my buddies (who werent ebay savvy) had me help as well.

We're referring to people here who dont have that much confidence buying on ebay. Until they learn how to read and understand frauds, its going to help them to stay away from single sellers, am I wrong?

Hell, im a personal seller on there and if people didnt buy from me id never sell anything obviously so why would I tell people not to? Its only for those new comers to get the flow and idea of how ebay works and how to avoid scams.