Play It Again Sports wants your used golf clubs?

[Mr. 82]

So I took a drive over the Play it Again Sports here in town yesterday because I know they sell used equipment, and I am looking for a couple of used mid bounce wedges in the 54° and 50° loft variety.  They didn't have those but in conversation with the franchisee he says to me, "we're always looking for pro line golf equipment.  I can't get enough people to sell it to me."  He did provide a caveat that is looking for equipment that's 10 years old or newer, but I was looking at a few of the wedges he had in his bin, and some of mine (Cleveland) are about like what he has in different lofts, etc, so I am headed back down there today with about 20+ clubs to see what he might buy from me.

I post this here to any and all spies, and I know that every town is different, but if this guy locally says he really wants golf equipment and can't get enough of it, it just makes me wonder if other Play it Again Sports in other towns might be in a similar situation.

Granted, just to feel this guy out, I pulled a couple of year old PING G700 wedges out of my bag that I paid $150 each for, and he was only offering $45 for them, because he said he'd sell them for $90, so if you have decent equipment you will probably make more money selling it on ebay, or here, or through other online resellers.  But if you're looking for quick cash on the spot without the hassle and cost of shipping clubs, this might be an option for you.

[downlowkey]

I’ll be interested to hear your report on actual offers they make for your older equipment. Because in my experience, the meager “pro line” inventory on display at most Play-It-Again locations is a direct result of them offering to pay roughly twenty cents on the dollar, viewed against actual used equipment market valuations. So while it may be quick cash, the conversion rate is pennies on the dollar for the individual doing the selling.

[Mr. 82]

11 minutes ago, downlowkey said:

I’ll be interested to hear your report on actual offers they make for your older equipment. Because in my experience, the meager “pro line” inventory on display at most Play-It-Again locations is a direct result of them offering to pay roughly twenty cents on the dollar, viewed against actual used equipment market valuations. So while it may be quick cash, the conversion rate is pennies on the dollar for the individual doing the selling.

Yeah, that's what I've already tested with the G700 wedges I showed him, which he offered $45 for.  As a reference, GlobalGolf.com offers $52.50 for my G700 wedges, so honestly that's not that bad of a trade off, in comparison.

The rest of my stuff consists of some PING G5 hybrids and a 3 wood, and my i3+ irons, as well as some assorted Cleveland wedges.  I should be able to walk out of Play it Again Sports tonight with over $100 for all of my old stuff.  If not, then it cost me nothing but a drive over to try anyway.

[tony@CIC]

So I took a drive over the Play it Again Sports here in town yesterday because I know they sell used equipment, and I am looking for a couple of used mid bounce wedges in the 54° and 50° loft variety.  They didn't have those but in conversation with the franchisee he says to me, "we're always looking for pro line golf equipment.  I can't get enough people to sell it to me."  He did provide a caveat that is looking for equipment that's 10 years old or newer, but I was looking at a few of the wedges he had in his bin, and some of mine (Cleveland) are about like what he has in different lofts, etc, so I am headed back down there today with about 20+ clubs to see what he might buy from me.
I post this here to any and all spies, and I know that every town is different, but if this guy locally says he really wants golf equipment and can't get enough of it, it just makes me wonder if other Play it Again Sports in other towns might be in a similar situation.
Granted, just to feel this guy out, I pulled a couple of year old PING G700 wedges out of my bag that I paid $150 each for, and he was only offering $45 for them, because he said he'd sell them for $90, so if you have decent equipment you will probably make more money selling it on ebay, or here, or through other online resellers.  But if you're looking for quick cash on the spot without the hassle and cost of shipping clubs, this might be an option for you.

The PGA Value guide is a pretty good starting point for trade in value and you can go up from there.


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[SaturdayGolfer]

3 hours ago, GSwag said:

Yeah, that's what I've already tested with the G700 wedges I showed him, which he offered $45 for.  As a reference, GlobalGolf.com offers $52.50 for my G700 wedges, so honestly that's not that bad of a trade off, in comparison.

The rest of my stuff consists of some PING G5 hybrids and a 3 wood, and my i3+ irons, as well as some assorted Cleveland wedges.  I should be able to walk out of Play it Again Sports tonight with over $100 for all of my old stuff.  If not, then it cost me nothing but a drive over to try anyway.

Interested to hear what your experience ends up being. I've found our local Play it Again Sports offers less than PGA Value guide for most clubs.

[ballplayer002003]

I am a former Play It Again Sports franchisee and I can tell you each one has their own niche based upon the owner.  I have found that if the owner is a golfer, they tend to carry more golf equipment then anything else.  That being said, I am sure every PIAS would love to get their hands on pro style clubs, however as you mentioned, they are not paying top dollar for it.  If you want more for your clubs, you can always consign them.  They may offer $45 for your wedge in cash, $55 on a trade and maybe $75 for consignment.  If you don't need the cash right away, consign it. 

[HardcoreLooper]

PIAS is a great place to find some treasures at good prices.  You're trading time for money taking your clubs there, and that makes sense for some people.  Seeing as how I just keep old clubs in my garage, I suppose that's an even worse deal.

Does PIAS give you more if you take store credit instead of cash?

[Mr. 82]

PIAS is a great place to find some treasures at good prices.  You're trading time for money taking your clubs there, and that makes sense for some people.  Seeing as how I just keep old clubs in my garage, I suppose that's an even worse deal.
Does PIAS give you more if you take store credit instead of cash?

Yes, they have 3 options when you sell to them.
1. Store credit at 40%
2. Consignment at 50%
3. Cash on the spot for 30%

I went with option 3 for several reasons:
A) These clubs have been sitting in my house for a long time and I’ll never use them again.
B). I’ve done consignment before (on a pistol) and it took them 5 years to sell it and the cash they paid me wasn’t much more than just getting a check five years ago.

I have no use for store credit as I can’t see myself buying anything there in the future. I just wanted to rid myself of the clubs with no strings hanging over me with me having to hold on to a receipt and keep bugging PIAS with a phone call once a month of “did my clubs sell yet?” I’ve just had nothing but bad experiences with consignment. I suppose I could have gone the ebay route and made more money, but the effort to ship the clubs and the potential for damage or shipping issues is not something I am interested in dealing with.

I sold them my set of Ping i3+ irons, 3 Cleveland wedges and unloaded my pair of Footjoy shoes that kept ripping my socks that I was probably going to throw out anyway, and a Ping G5 3 wood and two Ping G5 hybrids for $75 in cash.

I look at it this way. That’s $75 for clubs and a pair of shoes that were collecting dust and taking up space in my house. They are gone with no entanglements or any potential future issues. And that’s just fine with me.


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[HardcoreLooper]

7 hours ago, GSwag said:

B). I’ve done consignment before (on a pistol) and it took them 5 years to sell it and the cash they paid me wasn’t much more than just getting a check five years ago.

I can't imagine doing consignment unless you are selling something new and really in demand.  Glad to hear that they'll do a little better for you on store credit.  Between my kids and the rest of the kids on my street, someone around here is going to PIAS this week. 

[tony@CIC]

Yes, they have 3 options when you sell to them.
1. Store credit at 40%
2. Consignment at 50%
3. Cash on the spot for 30%

I went with option 3 for several reasons:
A) These clubs have been sitting in my house for a long time and I’ll never use them again.
B). I’ve done consignment before (on a pistol) and it took them 5 years to sell it and the cash they paid me wasn’t much more than just getting a check five years ago.

I have no use for store credit as I can’t see myself buying anything there in the future. I just wanted to rid myself of the clubs with no strings hanging over me with me having to hold on to a receipt and keep bugging PIAS with a phone call once a month of “did my clubs sell yet?” I’ve just had nothing but bad experiences with consignment. I suppose I could have gone the ebay route and made more money, but the effort to ship the clubs and the potential for damage or shipping issues is not something I am interested in dealing with.

I sold them my set of Ping i3+ irons, 3 Cleveland wedges and unloaded my pair of Footjoy shoes that kept ripping my socks that I was probably going to throw out anyway, and a Ping G5 3 wood and two Ping G5 hybrids for $75 in cash.

I look at it this way. That’s $75 for clubs and a pair of shoes that were collecting dust and taking up space in my house. They are gone with no entanglements or any potential future issues. And that’s just fine with me.


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I did the same thing but at GG. I ended up with about $250 in trade in value for a bunch of clubs I haven't used in years. Ended up being an equal trade for a 410 hybrid. I was only out the $ on sales tax. However before I went in I did check the PGA value guide so I had a pretty good idea of what I needed to get and a better deal than if tried selłing all the stuff on eBay.


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