Buying Premium Used Golf Balls - Survey

[Lihu]

40 minutes ago, The Hook Meister said:

I guess it's okay. Aren't you going to have to store them ion your trunk at some point. Where do these balls come from anyway?  Out of creeks, " god only knows how long they have been down there", in bushes exposed to the elements for days and days. Good luck.

The OP lives in my area, and I might be able to speak to this? What I've found is many golfers leave their tee shots in the deeper rough. There are also lots of ball mongers who walk through the courses picking up balls daily. There's a very high turnaround with balls found in the rough/thickets/trees/lateral hazards.

[mcanadiens]

It makes sense for you low-cap types to buy new. You lot are good enough to appreciate Pro-V1s and the like and you don't lose too many.

For hackers like me, used isn't a bad way to go. The local big box stores sell Reload Recycled in a variety of different balls. They are usually pretty decent out of the box, clean and have no major nicks or abrasions. When I'm actually playing in some kind of competition, I'll buy new. Otherwise, there is very little reason to incur the added expense.

 

[bmartin461]

1 hour ago, Lihu said:

The OP lives in my area, and I might be able to speak to this? What I've found is many golfers leave their tee shots in the deeper rough. There are also lots of ball mongers who walk through the courses picking up balls daily. There's a very high turnaround with balls found in the rough/thickets/trees/lateral hazards.

The idea would not work if I had to collect all the golf balls that were being resold, that is not a very sustainable model unless I spent 1 hour a day walking golf courses or getting scuba certified.  

I would be buying used and reselling at a marked up rate due to the convenience/opportunity factor.  

The target market are not hyper-tuned golfers who can detect the difference between new and used.  The golf course I would target initially (which @Lihu knows well)  has two 18 hole tracks and has a back 9 option on both.  This means that most mornings, between sunrise and 60 minutes past there are 4 groups going out every 6-10 minutes, that a pretty high volume of traffic.

 

[Yukari]

I have no problem using used golf balls.  I do very frequently, in fact.  The only time I use a new sleeve of golf balls is when I am in a tournament or when I have something on the line.  80% + time, I go out as a single and get paired up with strangers.  I never bet against strangers.  Those are my casual rounds.

Edited December 15, 2017 by Yukari

[ghalfaire]

I voted yes.  I already do play with used balls I purchase on line from a well know supplier of such items.  I buy new balls when I have some shop credits or just feel flush.  Frankly I can't tell the difference in the balls' performance.  This supplier sorts the balls by quality and I do buy the best quality ones.  BTW many of the pro shops on the courses I play have a jar of "used balls" and you can purchase these one at a time.

[Lihu]

3 hours ago, bmartin461 said:

The target market are not hyper-tuned golfers who can detect the difference between new and used.  The golf course I would target initially (which @Lihu knows well)  has two 18 hole tracks and has a back 9 option on both.  This means that most mornings, between sunrise and 60 minutes past there are 4 groups going out every 6-10 minutes, that a pretty high volume of traffic.

You could sell quite a few of them if they just look really clean. I might even be a random customer of yours one morning.

 

[phillyk]

If I were to buy golf balls, I wouldn't buy used ones.  I need the consistency and one can't trust potentially water-logged balls.

Regarding the business, the best deal on new golf balls, in my shop, is Srixon Marathon for $1.33/ball.  You get 15 golf balls.  Srixon Soft Feel is $1.45/ball when getting a 24 pack.  We also sell used balls that residents, who live on the course, find.  We trade golf for the used balls and we re-sell them for $1 or 10$ for a dozen. This includes ProV1s, TP5s, etc. 

Your used ball is already more expensive than brand new balls.  For these golfers you say are not hyper tuned, they don't care about quality, they care about the best deal/price.  They will buy that cheaper brand new ball over a more expensive used ball, even if it were premium. 

This is a tough market to get into because golf balls are super cheap to make and brands will knock off the price to get their new ball in the hands of golfers.  So there isn't a strong economical reason to buy used anymore.

[rehmwa]

Your price is way off.  Go to used golf ball sites and you can see what they charge.  You won't be able to charge more just because you avoid shipping charges, but you could use that advantage to 'get' the business in the first place.

Comparing to pure retail is a false trail to compare to also - I doubt people pay for that much unless it's gifts, or someone that doesn't care about $$ such that they'd not buy used for any reason.

$10/dozen is probably reasonable as a top end.  (Keep your proVs for yourself, sell the rest at $5/doz = $10/doz and you'd likely clear your inventory in no time and pocket some loose change.

[cutchemist42]

Personally, I buy my balls off a great guy on kijiji. Just a retired fellow golfer who knows exactly where the lost balls end up on his course. He meticulously organizes them and sells them dirt cheap. Just got 10 dozen Noodles off him for $20;

[rehmwa]

1 hour ago, cutchemist42 said:

 Just got 10 dozen Noodles off him for $20;

He only gave you $20 to take those out of his inventory?  Nice. 

[bmartin461]

2 hours ago, rehmwa said:

Your price is way off.  Go to used golf ball sites and you can see what they charge.  You won't be able to charge more just because you avoid shipping charges, but you could use that advantage to 'get' the business in the first place.

Comparing to pure retail is a false trail to compare to also - I doubt people pay for that much unless it's gifts, or someone that doesn't care about $$ such that they'd not buy used for any reason.

$10/dozen is probably reasonable as a top end.  (Keep your proVs for yourself, sell the rest at $5/doz = $10/doz and you'd likely clear your inventory in no time and pocket some loose change.

I see your points, however, I don't think I'm charging more than most premier re-sellers (lostgolfballs,com, golfballsdirect.com, etc)  I am looking at 15 for $20, I would like to stick to a "whole" number on the price to make the transactions simple and convenient.   Again, these would be impulse/convenience driven purchases.  

Like any model, it needs to be tested and that will be the next step.

i do appreciate the feedback. 

3 hours ago, phillyk said:

Your used ball is already more expensive than brand new balls.  For these golfers you say are not hyper tuned, they don't care about quality, they care about the best deal/price.  They will buy that cheaper brand new ball over a more expensive used ball, even if it were premium. 

This is a tough market to get into because golf balls are super cheap to make and brands will knock off the price to get their new ball in the hands of golfers.  So there isn't a strong economical reason to buy used anymore.

Thanks for the feedback.    My focus is creating a small-time side hustle as a way to get some disposable income.  For that to happen, the model needs to be: simple, low hours, something I am passionate about, have the right ROI.

So, I have most of that figured into this, except the ROI is untested and that will be what happens next if I decide to move forward.  Low risk is part of it too.

 

[phillyk]

On 12/15/2017 at 2:34 PM, bmartin461 said:

The target market are not hyper-tuned golfers who can detect the difference between new and used.  The golf course I would target initially (which @Lihu knows well)  has two 18 hole tracks and has a back 9 option on both.  This means that most mornings, between sunrise and 60 minutes past there are 4 groups going out every 6-10 minutes, that a pretty high volume of traffic.

I'm confused.  Do you live on this course where you'll do the whole box near the cart path but not officially on golf course property or are you selling to the pro shop, who would then sell the balls?  I doubt a course would let an outside business (even a simple selling balls on 1st tee) make money on something they have in their own shop.  But I could be wrong.

[bmartin461]

3 minutes ago, phillyk said:

I'm confused.  Do you live on this course where you'll do the whole box near the cart path but not officially on golf course property or are you selling to the pro shop, who would then sell the balls?  I doubt a course would let an outside business (even a simple selling balls on 1st tee) make money on something they have in their own shop.  But I could be wrong.

Not sure yet, the goal would be to keep it legal/semi-legal so off property but close enough to attract the needed traffic.  Toyed with the idea of handing out a one ball sample wrapped in marketing material, etc.

I would not attempt on course in any way without approval, which, as you stated, I would not likely get.

[iacas]

45 minutes ago, bmartin461 said:

Not sure yet, the goal would be to keep it legal/semi-legal so off property but close enough to attract the needed traffic.  Toyed with the idea of handing out a one ball sample wrapped in marketing material, etc.

I would not attempt on course in any way without approval, which, as you stated, I would not likely get.

Okay, then… why? How much do you expect to make, hourly? This doesn't feel like the kind of thing that's going to be worthwhile.

[bmartin461]

29 minutes ago, iacas said:

Okay, then… why? How much do you expect to make, hourly? This doesn't feel like the kind of thing that's going to be worthwhile.

It all depends of the number of units sold.  Assuming I only sell for 1 hour each visit and sell 10-20 times, it's $100-200 profit for the hour.

IF this was done twice a week and sustainable (which are both unknown likelihoods) then it would net $10-15K a year.  

Heck, I'm open to other side hustles if you have suggestions.....West Coast Mevos distributor? LOL

[GolfLug]

We have a retail shop called 'Lost Golf Balls' here locally. The owner recovers up to 700K parts a year from various golf courses he has contracts with. I hear he travels a couple of states above and below Virginia. Balls are sorted anywhere from A to AAAAA (almost brand new). I once bought the mint Pro V1s at $24.99. I guess they were ok but there's no way to truly know unless they are complete duds. It has turned into a full blown golf shop selling lots of OE as well to make a profit, albeit it is a fractional size of a GG. 

IMHO side hustle like this can be ok for lunch money if you can get folks to trust you to buy from in the first place but I don't think one should expect much more. 

[iacas]

21 minutes ago, bmartin461 said:

It all depends of the number of units sold.  Assuming I only sell for 1 hour each visit and sell 10-20 times, it's $100-200 profit for the hour.

You're only factoring in the revenues from sales, and only counting the time you'll be there actively selling.

You need to get the balls, clean the balls, sort the balls, package the balls, store the balls, and so on.

You need to spend time doing all of those things, plus driving to and from.

You need to pay for some of those things.

And you need to do all of that legally, from a place near a golf course but not so close you can be kicked out… and technically, you'd need to have a license to do this, anyway… just like how little girls selling lemonade technically need licenses in some places.

Never mind that the plurality answers in your polls above are "no, I wouldn't buy them."

[bmartin461]

3 minutes ago, iacas said:

You're only factoring in the revenues from sales, and only counting the time you'll be there actively selling.

You need to get the balls, clean the balls, sort the balls, package the balls, store the balls, and so on.

You need to spend time doing all of those things, plus driving to and from.

You need to pay for some of those things.

And you need to do all of that legally, from a place near a golf course but not so close you can be kicked out… and technically, you'd need to have a license to do this, anyway… just like how little girls selling lemonade technically need licenses in some places.

Never mind that the plurality answers in your polls above are "no, I wouldn't buy them."

Yes, I understand all of this and it's one idea I had.     I know the opportunity lost concept, but a lot of the prework can be done in front of The Crown or Stranger Things, etc.

Good feedback so far, that's why I posted it.   I would rather have a passive income source (for obvious reasons), but those are harder to establish.