Used clubs from eBay

[Sluggo42]

I’ve been seeing a lot a decent deals on eBay for clubs that I’m wanting, basically a combo set of the mp18’s. Basically less than half price for a clean set with minimal wear.

have any of y’all gotten burned on eBay or  any negative stories? Or conversely, and good stories or great deals gotten? I just seem to have a hard time dropping retail new club money, like when you drive a new car off the lot...

[GB13]

First off, look at the seller. Is the seller reputable? Do they have good feedback? 

If they do, ask for pics of the serial numbers. 99% of fake club sellers won't send them. If they do, call Mizuno and see if the number matches a number from the same model. 

Then look at the writing, make sure the fonts are the same. 

Finally, make sure the ferrule matches. Most fakers won't take the time to find the exact ferrule. 

Edited January 21, 2019 by GB13

[srooch2]

I've been burned on some grips once but never clubs, buy from a reputable dealer and you should be ok. Ask for serial numbers on Mizuno. Not a guarantee but helps.

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[robertson153]

I love eBay. Never have been burned, always good experiences. My driver, irons, and putter were all eBay purchases. Just make sure the seller has a lot of feedback and at least 99% plus positive feedback. Always remember if it sounds to good to be true, more than likely it is.


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[russtopherb]

I've never had an issue with irons or wedges on eBay. I always buy from a reputable seller, and to be honest, a lot of my purchases were of clubs that won't see fakes since they weren't TItleist, TaylorMade, etc.

Now, my father bought an R11 on eBay that I brought to get cut down & regripped for him at Golfsmith, and the manager claimed it was a fake. He based this off of the graphics on the shaft, which he said we larger than a legit club. My father had no problems hitting it and it working for him, so for $40 it was a good deal regardless of authenticity. 

[Mr. 82]

It's hit or miss for me.  I bought my Callaway driver and 4 wood off of ebay and the 4-wood is still in my bag.

The big negative for me was buying a PING G PW on ebay.  I bought it to fill out my iron set, and it had the correct color dot and shaft, so I thought I got lucky and got it real cheap.  But it kept coming up 10-15 yards short distance wise, so I eventually had the loft on it measured, and some asshat had bent that club to 50°, essentially making a PW into a GW.  I mean, come on, if you are going to sell a PW, don't sell a screwed with jacked up loft-wise club.

That PING PW/GW experience has me extremely hesitant to ever buy another club off of ebay.  But like I said, I've had good results prior to that.  I just am at a place with my golf clubs that when I purchase them I want to know that what I am getting is legit, so everything since that experience has been brand new.  Yeah, it's a lot more expensive, but I know what I am buying, and it's not a total crap shot and a matter of rolling the dice and hoping that what they are selling you matches what they say it is.

Edited January 21, 2019 by GSwag

[TR1PTIK]

11 hours ago, Sluggo42 said:

I’ve been seeing a lot a decent deals on eBay for clubs that I’m wanting, basically a combo set of the mp18’s. Basically less than half price for a clean set with minimal wear.

have any of y’all gotten burned on eBay or  any negative stories? Or conversely, and good stories or great deals gotten? I just seem to have a hard time dropping retail new club money, like when you drive a new car off the lot...

I haven't really had any issues with clubs. Biggest concern with irons is always going to be condition (especially forged). I did get some wedges that were off spec (lie angle) from what was listed, but that's the worst I've had. Just pay close attention to the seller rating and read a couple reviews. The best deal I ever got was on my old 735CM's. I still regret getting rid of those. Worst deal was on a headcover to match my 906f2, but I blame myself for even bothering (I knew the guy was overcharging).

[PING Apologist #9]

I've had real good luck on eBay over the years (I have a 100% rating with over 470 transactions) with just about everything I've purchased. My latest (golf-related) was a brand new, still in plastic, G400 5w that was up for auction. I snuck in at the last second and secured it for $130.50. My only negatives with eBay (all non-golf related) have been with a few buyers who can't read (or pretend to not be able to) the listings correctly and make false assumptions without any interaction or questions asked. Most of the time, it can be worked out amongst both parties, but eBay can intervene too and they are usually pretty fair and quick to respond. The last thing they want is bad publicity or negative comments flying around, so it's pretty tightly controlled for the most part.

[deejaid]

I've been burned on some grips once but never clubs, buy from a reputable dealer and you should be ok. Ask for serial numbers on Mizuno. Not a guarantee but helps.

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Same here. Got some counterfeit grips once. eBay straightened it out though.


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[deejaid]

Mizuno is one I’d be really weary of buying on eBay. From what I’ve seen and read, Mizuno, Miura, and PXG are the main counterfeit clubs that you’ll find, so really make sure it is a legit seller with plenty of feedback.


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[edingc]

The driver, fairway wood and irons in my signature came from eBay. Paid $180 combined for the driver and fairway wood from Dallas Golf, both were advertised as new with headcover and tool. Both showed up in the original Cobra packaging and were exactly as described.

The irons were purchased in "very good used condition" from Diamond Tour/Hurricane Golf for $269.99, or about 66 percent off new retail price (they are still current model). I used a 10 percent off eBay coupon during the holidays. I was shocked when I received them as most of the clubs had obviously never been hit and only a few were hit indoors as demos.

Now, I did have a problem with two of the badges/medallions falling off of the clubs shortly after purchasing them. After going around with Wilson support, I reached out to Diamond Tour and they took care of me with their Wilson rep. Wilson specifically states their warranty does not apply to sets purchased on eBay or Craigslist. But Diamond Tour helped me out majorly.

As long as I'm buying from reputable sellers, I don't have any problems with eBay. But I think some of the advice in this thread about spotting fakes is something to definitely keep in mind. Often, if it's too good to be true, it probably is!

[Justinius]

Personally, I was wary of fakes and/or misrepresentation of the club I wanted to purchase. In the end, after research and looking at the sellers rating, I purchased a set of Mizuno JPX 850 Forged 4 - PW for $200. They did have some wear on the face, especially the 7 iron, and were longer and more upright than I needed. However, I had a shop nearby fix the lie angle and I just choke down. The wear wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I believe I got an absolute steal! In fact, my first time out with the irons resulted in a near hole-in-one on a 190 yd par 3. 

[BIG STU]

On 1/21/2019 at 9:17 AM, PING Apologist #9 said:

I've had real good luck on eBay over the years (I have a 100% rating with over 470 transactions) with just about everything I've purchased. My latest (golf-related) was a brand new, still in plastic, G400 5w that was up for auction. I snuck in at the last second and secured it for $130.50. My only negatives with eBay (all non-golf related) have been with a few buyers who can't read (or pretend to not be able to) the listings correctly and make false assumptions without any interaction or questions asked. Most of the time, it can be worked out amongst both parties, but eBay can intervene too and they are usually pretty fair and quick to respond. The last thing they want is bad publicity or negative comments flying around, so it's pretty tightly controlled for the most part.

When we had the golf shop my late partner Big John was the e-bay master. He sold a lot of stuff on e-bay. Like you said a lot of people can not read or understand. I know John got fed up on that part of it. The one problem we had was when he bought some legit PRGR hybrid heads from someone he dealt with in California. We had installed good Harrison or Gramman shafts. Someone at E-bay thought they were clone fake counterfeit Ping heads. Man he had trouble explaining to those idiots running e-bay what PRGR was and the heads were legit. I remember John got ticked and pulled all out accounts from e-bay for a couple of weeks. And to add we were doing around $2500 or more a week on average on there. Someone from customer service reached out to him somehow and we got things resolved. I never have personally messed with e-bay but wished John had shown me how to do it. To be honest he tried but I was not interested at that time in that part of the business. I was more interested in working with folks that walked through the door and repairing and building clubs. That I think is why our combo worked so well until the 08 recession

[PING Apologist #9]

7 hours ago, BIG STU said:

When we had the golf shop my late partner Big John was the e-bay master. He sold a lot of stuff on e-bay. Like you said a lot of people can not read or understand. I know John got fed up on that part of it. The one problem we had was when he bought some legit PRGR hybrid heads from someone he dealt with in California. We had installed good Harrison or Gramman shafts. Someone at E-bay thought they were clone fake counterfeit Ping heads. Man he had trouble explaining to those idiots running e-bay what PRGR was and the heads were legit. I remember John got ticked and pulled all out accounts from e-bay for a couple of weeks. And to add we were doing around $2500 or more a week on average on there. Someone from customer service reached out to him somehow and we got things resolved. I never have personally messed with e-bay but wished John had shown me how to do it. To be honest he tried but I was not interested at that time in that part of the business. I was more interested in working with folks that walked through the door and repairing and building clubs. That I think is why our combo worked so well until the 08 recession

@BIG STU, you never cease to amaze me with your insights and experiences with everything golf, and this is no exception as usual. Thanks for chiming in and totally appreciate the story. Big CHEERS to you as always!

[SteddyGolf]

I’ve bought several things from eBay. I not only look at the sales history I also look at the items the person currently has listed. Regardless of history and feedback if a person has listed many of the same items or like items I stay away. While must golfers do become a bit of equipment junkies none of us have 10 of the same driver.


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[Sluggo42]

Got my p790’s today. They were described as “mint”, 9.8/10, and having been played only one round.

well, if he shot a 350 for that one round, then maybe... but the clubs have obviously been hit much more then described. Still pretty nice, and probably still a good deal, but nothing close to “one round”, mint”. With that tho, they’re probably still a 8.5/9, so I’m still pretty pumped. Plus what pissed me off the most was his packing for shipment. He just put them in a box and taped it shut. Zero clubhead protection for shipping.  Nice to get a little head start on some chatter eh? So anyways, all I could really do was to mention those things in his feedback, and hopefully he’ll do better next time.

now I can’t wait for tomorrow morning and check these bad boys out!

[edingc]

10 hours ago, Sluggo42 said:

Got my p790’s today. They were described as “mint”, 9.8/10, and having been played only one round.

well, if he shot a 350 for that one round, then maybe... but the clubs have obviously been hit much more then described. Still pretty nice, and probably still a good deal, but nothing close to “one round”, mint”. With that tho, they’re probably still a 8.5/9, so I’m still pretty pumped. Plus what pissed me off the most was his packing for shipment. He just put them in a box and taped it shut. Zero clubhead protection for shipping.  Nice to get a little head start on some chatter eh? So anyways, all I could really do was to mention those things in his feedback, and hopefully he’ll do better next time.

now I can’t wait for tomorrow morning and check these bad boys out!

Bummer that they couldn't have wrapped bubble wrap around the heads. That's pretty lazy, in my opinion. But still very glad you are happy with your purchase! I'm sure you saved a bunch off the new price.

[fixyurdivot]

On 1/20/2019 at 9:32 PM, robertson153 said:

I love eBay. Never have been burned, always good experiences. My driver, irons, and putter were all eBay purchases. Just make sure the seller has a lot of feedback and at least 99% plus positive feedback. Always remember if it sounds to good to be true, more than likely it is.


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Same here.  I think ebay (aka flee-bay) still is a great place to buy products.  No doubt as they grew opportunist crooks came like moths to a flame and dragged a novel business into the muck. But if you do business only with sellers having positive transaction history odds are you'll have no problems.  I've purchased and sold lots of fly fishing gear, purchased golf pullovers, tees, towels, and my Callaway Warbird 3w on ebay with no problems.  That said, if you want a bit more assurance that the club is what its stated to be, I'd be inclined to buy from the major used internet businesses like Global Golf, 2ndSwing, Callaway, etc. 

[TR1PTIK]

1 minute ago, fixyurdivot said:

Same here.  I think ebay (aka flee-bay) still is a great place to buy products.  No doubt as they grew opportunist crooks came like moths to a flame and dragged a novel business into the muck. But if you do business only with sellers having positive transaction history odds are you'll have no problems.  I've purchased and sold lots of fly fishing gear, purchased golf pullovers, tees, towels, and my Callaway Warbird 3w on ebay with no problems.  That said, if you want a bit more assurance that the club is what its stated to be, I'd be inclined to buy from the major used internet businesses like Global Golf, 2ndSwing, Callaway, etc. 

I have to agree with everything you said. At this point I've redone my entire bag 3 or 4 times buying and selling on eBay with very few issues if any. I've also purchased sets from Global Golf and highly recommend them. The firs set of used irons I ever bought from them were rated "very good" and could have been mint as far as I was concerned. I've also made a few purchases through 2nd Swing. They do have good stuff, but I feel like their prices can be a bit high sometimes. You have to really sort through their stock to find the best deal.

[Travisadcock28]

I've never had an issue with clubs from eBay. I've ordered several clubs on eBay and have always been pleased with them. All I will say is if the do not accept returns I would not buy them, that makes me think there could be something wrong with the clubs or they could be fake. 

[10shot]

I've purchased many clubs off Ebay.  Ebay,  my main source for used heads next to Iron factory. I will say the low ball'er selling Golf Pride grips on Ebay, they are selling counterfeits. I purchased 12, sent them to the leading seller of grips in the USA to confirm. I did this because, several customers asked about my grip price. I did a little digging to see why. 

Those are my Ebay stories on golf clubs. 

Edited January 29, 2019 by 10shot

[juspoole]

I've never had an issue so far, but I think that's mostly due to my research and just being conscience of what is being sold.  Taking the old adage, if it's too good to be true.....

I've bought hybrids, an iron set, wedges, shafts, drivers, balls, apparel, etc from eBay.  A few things I do to ensure it's legit.  Most of my club/shaft purchases are from 2nd Swing, Global Golf, Hurricane Golf, etc...or legit sellers with online presence, but have the wherewithal to sell on eBay as well to attract more buyers.  Clothes and balls, I'll usually buy from just about anyone with at least 100 sells and good ratings.

I use the make offer suggestion every time, even if there isn't one I will still email the seller and ask if they will take something a bit lower.  Works about 75% of the time.  

[Kor.A.Door]

I have purchased many clubs from eBay, the biggest issue that I look for is with drivers, those are “faked” more than anything else so I stay away from them, the woods that I buy are Exotics, so again not really any fakes with those, I purchased Mp18 SC iron heads as well, all perfectly fine. I just bought a frequency filtered putter shaft, and when I received it it was damaged, I messaged the seller within 5 minutes of opening it, and he sent another one straight out. He asked me to send photos of the damage that I could see in the box and photos of the shaft. He sent it priority and I got it today pretty fast. He will def. be getting a positive review. 

[Jtom2012]

I have always bought from a reputable seller. I will ask for serial numbers on items and email the manufacturer. 

[perseveringgolfer]

no issues- so far. But I ONLY buy from someone with 100% and lots of good 'seller' reviews- watch out for the 100% and mainly 'buyer' reviews- an old trick by scammers to get good trading refs.

[Mr. 82]

I once bought a used PING G pitching wedge.  Got it on the range, and just for reference purposes, my normal PW distance is a solid 125 yards.  Well, even with the most solid of contact I could only hit this club about 120 at best, and most of the time around 115 yards or so.  And as hard headed as I am, I figure I just couldn't hit that club very well, and shrugged it off.  Well, on a whim one day I was shopping at Edwin Watts here locally and in conversation with one of the guys there I mentioned my troubles with this one club, and he asked me to bring it in so he could check the loft on it.  Sure enough, some jackass had sold a PING G PW that was bent to 50°, essentially making it just like my gap wedge, which flies 115 yards.

I mean, if you are going to bend a club like that and jack with the lofts, the least you could do is mention it in the description for the club.

Maybe I am getting snobby about golf club purchases, but that was my last purchase through ebay, and I probably won't ever again entertain the thought of a used club purchase that way.  Too many snakes out there and untrustworthy scammers who probably stole the club to begin with and hawked it on ebay to make some money.

Also reminds me of how I bought my old PING i3+ irons many years ago.  I was gonna get new irons for them at the time, but decided to check ebay and found what appeared to be pretty new PING i3+ irons in the lie angle I needed.  So I pulled the trigger and brought them home.  I played these irons for about 15 years before upgrading recently.  But the one thing about these irons that always bothered me was that I was constantly playing irons owned by Bob Thomason.  I mean, in the back of my mind either Bob sold his clubs to me, or somewhere out there, there's a Bob Thomason still pissed off because his golf clubs were stolen by someone from his club, and hawked on ebay.  It will probably be an unsolved mystery I'll take with me to the grave.

 

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

When I lived in Canada I had purchased a decent amount of Clubs through eBay, however later on I didn't find great deals. 

I checked them out recently and it was much of the same.

I've found for used clubs places like Facebook marketplace or other used BST sites better. Including ours here.

However clubs4cash UK is also great. What sites do you use? How are selections? Is rockbottom still one of the better sites in the US?