How to Buy (and Sell) on eBay
 

There is no doubt. eBay has changed the way American golfers buy (and sell) their golf clubs.

At the Golf Lab, at least half of our customers buy some of their clubs on eBay. What have we learned from them?

Most are looking to save some money. eBay will save money. If you like going to flea markets to search for undiscovered bargains - you love eBay. You never know when a seller will make a mistake and describe his "gems" as something common. Mistakes go cheap. Buyers love to skin sellers.

Every time Bonnie and I walk on the grounds of a flea market, we say a "buyers' prayer" and hope we'll find an original copy of the Declaration of Independence on the back side of a picture frame. Why not? It happened once. Hope springs eternal.

Some players are looking to replace a well -loved set of clubs that they sold in a frenzy - hoping that the newest "Next Big Thing" would be the answer for their game. I'm in that class. I've been looking to replace that mint custom set of 1962 Wilson Staffs that I traded in for worthless Confidence "game improvement" irons twenty five years ago. Ten years of eBay - no luck. But, hope still springs eternal. And, I'm still hoping. I still think I'll buy that set back.

The highest probability is that you just want the best deal on a new or lightly used set of clubs that would cost several hundred dollars more if you bought them at one of the "Big Box" stores - Golfsmith, Golf Galaxy or Golf Mart. The reality of eBay is that most common models - from any manufacturer - are available on eBay at near wholesale prices. Lightly used models can be bought for severe discounts. The oversupply of golf equipment is crazy. The manufacturers are responsible. They have flooded distribution channels. eBay is your best source for low priced golf clubs. But you already know that.

There is a downside problem. It is likely that an eBay vendor will describe his clubs incorrectly. It might be an unintended mistake, maybe not. Were they really stiff? How long are the shafts? What is the difference between 8.5 and 9.5 in quality? How would he know? What happens if you buy the wrong set? Rectification is always problematical - and costly enough to erase the bargain in your purchase. One mistake? No saving.

And, what if you want the lofts and lies adjusted? That's $6 to $8 per club extra. New grips? No problem: $7 to $12. You want your new clubs set to your custom standards? That's $13 to $20 per club. Kinda defeats the purpose of buying a bargain on eBay. How much "retrofit?"

And then there's the matter of "patience". In May 2009 there is an average of 45,000 separate lots of golf clubs listed on eBay every day. The inventory cycles every seven days. In the course of a month, you might be confronted with 180,000 separate lots of golf clubs. How many can you evaluate? Will you bid on the bargain, or will you bid against another uninformed bidder driving the price unrealistically high? Buyers make costly mistakes every day on eBay. All sellers hope for that. How do you know that your bid is a "good bid?" It's easy to pay too much if you don't know the history of actual selling prices.

Our opinion? If you are trying to buy just one set of clubs on eBay that you want to put in your bag, there is a very small chance that they will be "correct" as received. Very few golfers receive a "perfect" set of clubs from their eBay purchase. You could be the exception, and you will be very lucky.

 

 Professional Buying - and Selling - Service
 

At the Golf Lab, we "live" on eBay - and have since the very beginning. Together with our selling partner, Heather Hughes, we have completed over 3000 buying and selling transactions. Together, we spend several hours every day "shopping" on eBay.

We have the most sophisticated tools: a software service provides analysis of eBay listings and transactions. For any golf club model, we know how many were listed in the last week, last month and last six months. That indicates "rarity". We know the initial listing price, the final selling price and the percentage that didn't sell at all. We know current values. If you are looking to buy a golf club on eBay, we can tell you what you will have to pay. (As much as everyone is looking for a "bargain" - the reality is that there are very few deviations from the "statistical norm".) eBay is a world market and there are very predictable minor deviations in selling prices.

We can "drill down" into the reputation of the seller. How many transactions? Satisfaction level? Are these products real or fakes?

If you just want to have some fun buying your golf clubs on eBay - have at it. It's always exciting to see if your bid will hold up. But, if you want to make sure that you get exactly what you want, that the quality is as described, and that the club you buy will make it into your bag - you will do well working with the Golf Lab.

To make sure you get the very best value for your eBay purchase, and no mistakes, you can rely on the Golf Lab. We will guarantee your results.

 

 The "eBay Fitting"
 

The Holy Grail of all of the New Age custom fitting services has been to let a player take a few swings and then recommend an "off the shelf" golf club for them to buy. Transaction time: as short as possible. Accuracy: questionable.

Why would you expect that system to work for you? Manufacturers are notorious for inconsistent standards. One manufacturer's "stiff" is another manufacturer's "regular". Some fit by swing speed, some by "load", some by flipping a coin.

Measuring swing speed is an unreliable way to determine correct shaft flex. Traditional fitting methods are primitive, at best.

We have enlisted a new service to help with fitting for "name brand" golf clubs. Shaftfitter.com - invented by a long-time professional Canadian clubmaker - David Eagar. Shaftfitter.com is a unique fitting service. It takes into consideration your tempo time and swing speed - another way to look at "shaft load" - and makes a recommendation based on tested standards for major manufacturer club models. Shaftfitter looks at shaft flex and torque as its key fitting parameters.

Shaftfitter is aimed at recommending major name brand golf clubs.

Your "eBay Fitting" includes the measurements required by Shaftfitter.com. We'll make sure by confirming your swing characteristics with our Achiever launch monitor. After we "get the numbers" we'll give you a list of the models, shafts and flexes that fit your swing - all from major manufacturers - all available to purchase on eBay. If you want to make your own buy - there's no reason to take a chance. We can tell you the best models, shafts and flexes to fit your swing. If you're only interested in Taylor Made and Callaway, we can restrict the recommendations to your favored manufacturers. If you eliminate just one mistake, our eBay Fitting service will pay you back. Our opinion? No eBay buyer never makes a mistake.

 

 Insurance Policy
 

We'll give you all of your fitting recommendations in complete printouts if you want to make your own purchase. But, if you'd rather have us take responsibility for the fitting, and the acquisition of the recommended clubs, and PROVE the results with follow-up launch monitor testing, we will do that.

We will use all of our experience and software tools to make the correct purchase at the best price for you on eBay. When the club is received, we will test it to make sure it conforms to the promised specifications. Then, we will perform a follow-up test to your "eBay Fitting" to make sure that what you received is really better than what you had before. Our commission? Just 10% of the purchase price.

We make the recommendation, find the product, win the bid at the best price, test the club when we receive it and perform a follow-up fitting to make sure that it's better than what you had before. All that for a 10% purchase fee. You're spending $150 for a driver. How about $15 to make sure it works for you? That should be a "no brainer".

We'll even cap our custom services to make sure you get the loft and lie that you require guaranteed.

 

 OK, How Much to Start?
 

We need to know who you are and the characteristics of your swing. No way to make a recommendation without that knowledge. We require a "fitting" to guarantee results. Who would guarantee results without knowing the facts?

We'll spend up to an hour with you, utilizing out state of the art launch monitors and electronic testing tools to get the "right numbers" on your swing.

Then, we'll run the report with Shaftfitter.com to give you a list of recommended golf clubs - drivers and irons. You get all of the computer reports.

You get much more than the minimum. If you have in mind a certain model of golf club, we'll give you our opinion of whether that model matches your swing characteristics. Outside in swing path? We're not going to give you a "thumbs up" on Mizuno blades. Inside out? Why are you looking at offset irons? We'll give you our best professional recommendation, whether you plan to buy your clubs from us or not.

Our fee for the "eBay Fitting Service" is $125. You can expect to spend at least an hour with Leith Anderson. Follow-up questions are no additional charge.

We'll also create a permanent "customer file" for you. If you want to check back in the future, we'll have the fitting information available.

 

 Clean Out the Garage
 

Now, think about the "flipside". There are no golf clubs on the planet that are increasing in value. The only question is how much less will they be worth tomorrow?

Have a look around your garage and basement. Think about clearing out some space by selling your unused golf clubs. Repeat: they will only be worth less next month.

We can take care of liquidating your golf clubs for the highest possible price in the shortest time. The answer: our old friend eBay.

The economics: eBay collects an average of 15% on any sale. That's why they're worth billions. We offer the lowest cost for selling after eBay fees. Heather Hughes collects, photographs, lists, sells and ships all of our eBay purchases for 10% of the selling price. You wouldn't do the work yourself for twice that. You can get cash from Heather in three weeks - with no "overhead" from the Golf Lab.

But, (and we hope you do) if you want to trade your unused golf clubs for custom made clubs from the Golf Lab, we'll give you an immediate appraisal and immediate credit for whatever golf clubs that you bring in. Have a little fun: plan on buying a new set of golf clubs built to your custom fitting and specification from the Golf Lab.

Miracles happen: first time out with a demo, a Golf Lab customer made the first hole in one of his life. Was it the club? Who knows . . .

 

 Get in Touch
 

Hey, we're ready to do our best to put some money into your pocket. This is our continuation of our "recession strategies" theme. Cash in what you don't want, have a little fun and get some clubs that will surprise you.

And, please don't think that we can't use some money in our own pocket. Figure out a way you can help us do a little business with you or your friends. Thanks for your help.