Thoughts/opinions on standards of selling golf equipment

[Red4282]

Had a recent experience, that I wanted to get some opinions on. I grabbed a set of t100 irons for a really good price on ebay, they were shafted with Dynamic Gold tour issue x100 ONYX. Seller claimed set was +1/2” over standard and  1.5* flat, standard lofts.
 

Upon receiving them, everything appeared fine, but noticed the 6 and 7 irons were nearly the same length. They are within 1/8” of each other. So I started digging further.  The short irons (7-9) measured +3/4” over and the long irons measured +1/4” over standard. Hmm weird. The ferrules on the short irons were clean and smooth, while the long irons hadnt been turned down, and they didnt exactly match the ferrules on the short irons (they were slightly shorter in length). There was really no way to tell any of these issues by the pics provided.

I removed the grip on the 4 iron looking for some identification, just trying to figure out what Im dealing with and if I can correct it. No label or etchings. So I start looking at the steps for the first step to tip measurement. The 4 iron was 9”. Apparently thats a 2 or 3 iron shaft, from what I can gather, so its been soft stepped. Grab the 5, uh its 9”. 6 iron, 9 inches…..the 7-9 have what seem to be correct stepped distances and there is a progression, like there is supposed to be, so those seem like a legit build. The 4-6 not so much. I could deal with a 4 irons shaft soft stepped twice. A 6 iron soft stepped 4x…. Ehh
 

So I contact the seller just wanting some details. He apologizes, says the 4-6 were indeed built separately by a what he thought was a trusted fitter. 
 

I really dont want to return because I did get a really good deal, in that even the heads alone should be worth what I paid. 
 

The thing Im pondering, is am I being extremely neurotic about this?  I know the masses are pretty clueless on this stuff, but should that be acceptable? Did the seller know, and is playing ignorance? He seems to be cooperating but Im not sure exactly what I expect him to do, short of just refund and return. Part of me just wants to resale, thinking not everyone pays attention like us WRXers. But my conscious is having a hard time with that.  

[player922000]

It sounds like the seller probably did know and just figured whoever bought them wouldn't check that closely and see they don't all match up. If you re-sold then you'd be doing the same thing as him, which ended up with you, the buyer, being disappointed. Maybe ask if he could slide you a few $$ to get the 4-6 re-shafted to your liking? If you got such a good deal it might be worth just trying to get a few $$ out of him to have it fixed.

[Red4282]

8 minutes ago, player922000 said:

It sounds like the seller probably did know and just figured whoever bought them wouldn't check that closely and see they don't all match up. If you re-sold then you'd be doing the same thing as him, which ended up with you, the buyer, being disappointed. Maybe ask if he could slide you a few $$ to get the 4-6 re-shafted to your liking? If you got such a good deal it might be worth just trying to get a few $$ out of him to have it fixed.

Yea, weird thing is, if the lengths of the 6-7 irons had been correct and everything was 1/2” over, likely i never notice any of these other stuff. I just wonder how much of this stuff goes on and never gets noticed. You are correct in just doing the same to others. Ill probably just pull the shafts, get what I can for them, and reshaft. Although not sure anyone would want a 3 36-37” 2 iron shafts. 
 

Im not really out any money, otherwise I would return. Guess just not as great of a deal as I thought. 

[player922000]

2 minutes ago, Red4282 said:

Yea, weird thing is, if the lengths of the 6-7 irons had been correct and everything was 1/2” over, likely i never notice any of these other stuff. I just wonder how much of this stuff goes on and never gets noticed. You are correct in just doing the same to others. Ill probably just pull the shafts, get what I can for them, and reshaft. Although not sure anyone would want a 3 36-37” 2 iron shafts. 
 

Im not really out any money, otherwise I would return. Guess just not as great of a deal as I thought. 

 

My guess is it's more prevalent than we would think. Lots of second hand buyers and sellers on ebay that likely don't check specs, just buy and re-sell. 

[jacob7071]

Fact is, whether you got a good deal or not, you didn't receive what was advertised.  First, I'd check the other clubs for any signs that something may be off.  Compare to other Titleist irons at a retailer and compare the ferrules.  Match the steps to another set of DGX100.  Check overall weight and swingweight.  If all looks ok, I'd definitely ask the seller to pay all, or a portion of, the cost of new shafts and grips (reasonable compared to what you paid for the set - if you paid $250 for everything, it would be hard to ask for $175 for new shafts and grips).  If he pushes back, maybe negotiate a little, or just send back.  If he's playing hardball, no telling what else might be hiding that you can't see without disassembling the clubs.  

 

Definitely don't resell.  If there's something wrong with them, don't be the guy that sells them to an unsuspecting buyer.  

Edited May 8 by jacob7071

[MickeyTankBank]

This feels just like a normal thing that happens when buying used clubs. 

 

People buy something from a builder or manufacturer that are ordered with certain specs. They just assume they are built to those specs. The sellers end up listing them with the specs they were told and the clubs were never actually correct in the first place. 

 

Not everyone has the knowledge or even cares enough to check specs that closely. You gotta remember that the average golfer barely even knows these type of specs exist. 

[Cellis]

10 minutes ago, MickeyTankBank said:

This feels just like a normal thing that happens when buying used clubs. 

 

People buy something from a builder or manufacturer that are ordered with certain specs. They just assume they are built to those specs. The sellers end up listing them with the specs they were told and the clubs were never actually correct in the first place. 

 

Not everyone has the knowledge or even cares enough to check specs that closely. You gotta remember that the average golfer barely even knows these type of specs exist. 

I absolutely second this. Average weekend golfer would not notice anything you mentioned. Maybe not to this magnitude, but I have had plenty of friends sent clubs from the manufacturer and clubs are built all different ways outside of requested specs. Some builders just aren't good. My guess is the seller had no real idea and was not trying to be malicious, but when buying preowned clubs you always take a chance like this. I would weigh this out in 2 ways. 1 being is it worth it to have the irons corrected to your liking and the value is still there for you or 2, should you just return and look for another set.

[kcsf]

 

Someone in a thread on here years ago wrote a statement that has stuck with me, and altered my purchasing. 

 

"Some people should only buy new."

 

Know thyself. 

[PJE]

There’s always a risk with used irons. You don’t know with certainty if they’ve been modified or customized. With used woods, you have to be alert to counterfeits but at least there’s not much that can be done to the club. 
I think it’s speculative to say the seller was aware of the shaft issues and he or she was deceptive. Lots of people are uninformed about specs and club building.  The seller should’ve mentioned some irons were built separately in the advertisement but again, his failure to do so, doesn’t necessarily indicate deception. 
If you resell, you should inform others of what you know.  
If you resell or trade in to a retailer, Callaway Pre Owned was the only one I’m aware of that would put non standard re shafts in the “Clearance” category. I’m uncertain if this is still their practice but at least it was a flag to potential buyers. 
But since you want the heads and can reshaft, I’d just do that and move on. 

[xabia]

2 hours ago, kcsf said:

 

Someone in a thread on here years ago wrote a statement that has stuck with me, and altered my purchasing. 

 

"Some people should only buy new."

 

Know thyself. 

 

Except that you can order new and still get all kinds of deviation from the manufacturers standard. And even worse if you customize specs they are often way off the mark

[Pnwpingi210]

My personal opinion on this is, if i was the purchaser, this is the risk of buying used clubs online from a private party.

 

i really only get upset if im paying a premium (ie not really getting a good deal) and I asked a ton of clarification questions before purchase and then found out the clubs did not match the answers I received to those questions.

 

 

 

 

[Red4282]

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts. At the end of the day, It was a good deal, and I could easily return or resale. If was a bit of impulse buy, saw the auction ending soon at a good price. So no real time to ask questions. So thats on me. Will go ahead and lock it up.