Is it safe to buy racquets off of e bay?

[molybdenum]

Has anyone ever bought racquets off of e bay? How as it ? Is it safe to do so? how come it is so cheap there? what are the percentages of buying a fake racquet on e bay?
Can some one tell me please!!!!!!!!!

 

[staffpro]

a couple days ago i bought 2 ncode tour 90's of of e b a y and i am patiently awaiting them in the mail. i paid $196.50 for both shipping included (i won both bids, yes) which is the same price as for one from a store so i am very happy. As long as you buy from a reputable person you are fine. The only ones on **** that are fake are the chinese ones and hong kong and malaysia ones and singapore ones. they have like racquets for 20$ which is obviously fake.

 

[Simbah2004]

I bought two NEW racquets from ****, with no problems whatsoever. Just make sure the seller has been around for a long time and has few (if none) negative feedback.
If you're patient, you can get great prices over there. I would not buy used racquets over there, even with pictures.

 

[BLiND]

I have bought and sold racquets many time... just make sure they have a reputation and you can pay with a secure method (paypal), and its no problem.

 

[bighitter325]

my friend bought all his racquets from **** head i radicals for 60 dollars , **** is fine

 

[prestigen]

I bought two nCode 90 Tour from e-b-a-y, before 3 months. All goes smoothly.

 

[mclee025]

The key is to buy from established reliable **** members as mentioned by others previously. Check out the seller's ratings history.

I've bought a lot of used racquets and have been really happy with them, but you have to make sure you know what you are buying. Don't just rely on some low resolution pictures. Ask the seller questions about the state of the racquet if he doesn't offer it in the description. I'll typically ask about the condition of the plastic bumper guard on the racquet head, and to describe in detail any nicks in the paint, etc. You obviously want to adjust your bid according to the condition of the racquet.

Also, I would recommend to never do cash or cash equivalent transactions. If the seller doesn't offer Paypal as a method of payment, it's usually not a good thing and what I would consider a red flag. Paypal offers some protection from fraud.

I saw a scam unfold from a guy (in the U.S.) that only accepted cash type payments on about a dozen high end brand new racquets. He had nothing but good ratings (about 40). However, you could tell that he things were fishy because if you dug into things you could find out that he was a relatively new member and all of his ratings were from nickle and dime stuff that he bought (and not sold) from within the past month or so. Within a few weeks of his bids closing, he was bombarded by negative reviews from people that had a bad experience from him.

There are great deals out there, but you have to proceed with caution.

 

[netman]

Great advice from mclee025. You can usually tell if you are dealing with a knowledgeable seller from their descriptions. If they cut and pasted something from TW or another retailer with little additional prose from themselves or if its a tersely worded description, you are taking your chances. I've bought and sold a lot of frames using the online auction sites and as long as you ask a lot of questions you will rarely be surprised. If the seller doesn't answer questions, move on.

-k-

 

[Viper]

For me: no. Too many scams

 

[aidenous]

I buy and sell often and just make sure that the seller has good feedback. They should have a positive feedback rating of 97% or higher or I pass. You can read comments from buyers to.

 

[joe sch]

There are many FAKE seller out of China, Hong Kong that list bargains on popular rackets, often stealing the same picture from prior auctions. I now avoid asian sellers especially the ones that only have about 10 bogus fb's. Its pretty obvious !

 

[robkat]

Excellent advice from Mclcee025. I always tell people that want to buy something off **** is, Know what you want to buy !.. Know the item inside and out. Many sellers on **** describe the item in their listing that is incorrect,> You see this many times involving Tennis racquet auctions. Just know what your buying and buy from reliable sellers.

 

[Michelangelo]

I've got more than 10 new and used rackets from the "auction website" with no problem. The point is you need to choose the good seller (check the feedback). Good luck.

 

[ppw350Zunit]

i didn't know e_bay was a bad word!?!?

 

[ucd_ace]

I've bought several of them, but I've been careful about it in my opinion by only buying racquets from stores on there. I didn't have any problems at all. Check references for sure. As long as your careful, you should be fine.

 

[Richie Rich]

The key is to buy from established reliable **** members as mentioned by others previously. Check out the seller's ratings history.

I've bought a lot of used racquets and have been really happy with them, but you have to make sure you know what you are buying. Don't just rely on some low resolution pictures. Ask the seller questions about the state of the racquet if he doesn't offer it in the description. I'll typically ask about the condition of the plastic bumper guard on the racquet head, and to describe in detail any nicks in the paint, etc. You obviously want to adjust your bid according to the condition of the racquet.

Also, I would recommend to never do cash or cash equivalent transactions. If the seller doesn't offer Paypal as a method of payment, it's usually not a good thing and what I would consider a red flag. Paypal offers some protection from fraud.

I saw a scam unfold from a guy (in the U.S.) that only accepted cash type payments on about a dozen high end brand new racquets. He had nothing but good ratings (about 40). However, you could tell that he things were fishy because if you dug into things you could find out that he was a relatively new member and all of his ratings were from nickle and dime stuff that he bought (and not sold) from within the past month or so. Within a few weeks of his bids closing, he was bombarded by negative reviews from people that had a bad experience from him.

There are great deals out there, but you have to proceed with caution.

I bid on a couple of this guys racquets. I've been around a while and seen a few scams so I was a little concerned. I never sent any money - thought I'd wait and see what happens with other people. I also called him on his feedback (all buying sports cards for $1) and he immediately made it "private" so you could only see the number and % but not what made it up. That was really fishy. I emailed a couple people from the earlier auctions asking if they rec'd their racquets - none had although they were being "shipped" SURE!!

Anyway, another week later, the negs start coming and he was booted off.

Bottom line, deal with reputable sellers with established feedback from selling racquets and if you are getting a really good deal on the price of a new racquet there is usually a reason why so BE CAREFUL.

 

[ATXtennisaddict]

Always always check feedback first.

 

[mclee025]

Here's another set of pretty fishy auctions going on at that famous auction site. Check out item 7201377289 and all the other items the seller has for sale.

Next check out his references. From first glance it looks like he's a great member of the site with 100 percent satisfaction ratings and a good number of them (30). However, note that this is a facade set up by the seller. The ratings are just "padding". If you dig deeper, you can see he's done it by buying inexpensive trading cards, all within the past few weeks.

This user has zero sales of his own. Yet suddenly he has several premium brand new tennis racquets for sale. Also note how he's only been a member for a few weeks.

Next note that he is only dealing on a cash basis and avoiding the pitfalls that PayPal provides to scam artists.

Finally for some history, check out item 7168795372. This is one of the items associated with the user Richie Rich and I saw try to defraud as mentioned earlier in this thread. Note all the similarities between this new auction and that old one. It makes me wonder if it's the same guy as before.

In a few weeks, the site will likely have a number of users that have had bad experience with this seller. I can be mistaken, but all the signs are indicating that history will repeat itself.

Buyers need to do their homework before buying. It's buyer beware!

 

[kabob]

All my racquets have either come off of e-bay from reputable sellers if not from this board's Classifieds section.

 

[Jack the Hack]

I have purchased 4 new tennis racquets, 2 bikes, and an effects processor for my guitar setup off of the auction site mentioned here. In all of the purchases, I bought them from retailers that had real storefronts, but also auctioned items off on the site. In every case, they were official site "Stores" and had huge amounts of feedback.

The retailer I bought my racquets from is called "just_tennis" on the site, and he has a real shop in San Diego aside from the online auctions. Excellent communication and service from him, and the racquets were as decribed (brand new for an awesome price). Here is the link to his auction site storefront: http://stores. *bay .com/Just-Tennis (take out the spaces and add the vowel)

Actually, to see a list of all official auction site "Stores" that specialize in tennis, go here: http://sporting-goods.stores. *bay .com/Tennis_W0QQcatZ20868QQtZlw (again, take out the spaces and add the vowell)

Keep in mind that if you buy from an official "Store", you may not get an outrageous deal (like an nCode for $20), but you will get better security. Shop around... you may also find that TW sells the same item for the same price or cheaper. (TW is selling the same racquets that I bought from the online auction site at the same price right now. If the price had been the same a year ago, I would have bought them from TW as I appreciate the services they provide... like this forum!)

 

[thenewb]

i bought a slaz x1 off **** from a guy with only 4 ratings. =P turns out the guy works for ********* as thats where it shipped from.
it really depends, i'd say. if it's an relatively obscure racquet, odds are people aren't bothering to make a fake of it since they could make more off scamming a hot selling one like an ncode.
just make sure to always pay with a credit card through paypal to protect yourself. you can always just hold payment with the cc. i learned this the hard way when i got ripped off for a pair of speakers and paypal wouldn't do anything.
as long as you use a credit card, **** is a good deal.

 

[KFwinds]

Have bought and sold many racquets there (and other items) without any issues; as others have mentioned you can usually tell who is reputable by the feedback and the "tone" of the auction (how it is described and worded). There is always a risk, yes, but it becomes very unlikely that you will get scammed if you know what to look for.

 

[jackson vile]

Don't gamble when it comes to something so important, if you order from say TW or else where you know exactly what you are getting.

Also if you have any problems they will work with you and many times will go to great lenghts to make you happy ie exchanging the racket, if the racket is some how damaged replacing it.

On top of that on line they are official dealers so if you have any problems with your racket latter on you can simply call that company to claim your warranty.

I don't believe they will uphold the warranty if it is not an offical dealer.


"If is seems too good to be true it most likely is."


However some people love to gamble

 

[RiosTheGenius]

yeah, go right ahead, I've bought and sold racquets on e bay and no problem... just read well for details, pay atention to shipping costs (they might get you there), ask for more pictures, etc.
but I've never had a problem.
in fact I play with a stick that is discontinued so e bay is my only source for racquets.
good luck and "happy bidding"

 

[texcoug]

I have had mixed reviews. I purchased a Z-Lite (Bab) for a great price -- adverstised as new. It had 3 stress fractures on the throat. I was able to work it out with the seller, however. He was not too familiar with tennis but had picked up a bunch of fractured Babolats at some kind of auction.

The next purchase was a new 03 Red from a tennis store (TrumpTennis) that, at the time I purchased, had solid reviews. From the date of my purchase on, TONS of negative ratings. However, I received my racquet, it was new, and I got it for a great price. Now, if the negative reviews were up I probably would not have bid, but looks like I was okay. In fact, I would be inclined to buy another from him.

On the other hand, I have purchased 3 racquets from TW. I have never asked, but I wonder to what extent they would match an **** store's price (per their policy). If it were anywhere close, I would prefer to buy from them.

I do know there is considerable mark up on racquets (so it doesn't surprise me to see the great deals). Our local pro can get a Bab PD or Storm for around $100, but he sells them for $200. I think pros get those kins of deals. I picked up a brand new (with tags) Wilson Hyper warm up (lined, the works) for cheap -- it's just too big (Wilson L is really an XL). The seller is a tennis pro in WI.

Has anyone here tried to get TW to match an **** store price?

 

[Jeet]

used head i extreme $20 with shipping
used head ti heat $20 with shipping
new Fischer Pro no. 1 Extreme 45 with shipping

 

[mrw]

I have purchased 5 new racquet's and at least 10 old woodies on e---bay.

I encountered grief with only one transaction. Pay Pal stepped in and the seller made right on the purchase. The odd thing was, I had purchased from that vendor before without any problems. I guess it goes to show that with e---bay, caveat emptor!

 

[pdugas]

Same here I bought 4 new racquets off **** in the last 3 months one was an Ncode six one 95 16x18 NEW for $105 love it. Great transactions. Got the racquets in 5 to 7 days.
BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!! **** is adictive.

 

[meh]

Also, try to buy off "East bay" stores, instead of individual sellers. You can buy both used and new. I've bought a couple used racquets from "east bay."

Has anyone here tried to get TW to match an **** store price?

TW now matches the price from "east bay" stores on racquets, so just take your business to TW if you find a good deal.

 

[doriancito]

look for positive feedback of the sellers

 

[Jonnyf]

i just bought a prestige trysis 300 from Eby

 

[tennisadict]

why not? e-bay is the place

 

[BattleAxe]

Here's another set of pretty fishy auctions going on at that famous auction site. Check out item 7201377289 and all the other items the seller has for sale.

Next check out his references. From first glance it looks like he's a great member of the site with 100 percent satisfaction ratings and a good number of them (30). However, note that this is a facade set up by the seller. The ratings are just "padding". If you dig deeper, you can see he's done it by buying inexpensive trading cards, all within the past few weeks.

This user has zero sales of his own. Yet suddenly he has several premium brand new tennis racquets for sale. Also note how he's only been a member for a few weeks.

Next note that he is only dealing on a cash basis and avoiding the pitfalls that PayPal provides to scam artists.

Finally for some history, check out item 7168795372. This is one of the items associated with the user Richie Rich and I saw try to defraud as mentioned earlier in this thread. Note all the similarities between this new auction and that old one. It makes me wonder if it's the same guy as before.

In a few weeks, the site will likely have a number of users that have had bad experience with this seller. I can be mistaken, but all the signs are indicating that history will repeat itself.

Buyers need to do their homework before buying. It's buyer beware!

If it is this bad, why haven't you reported this seller to e-bay before he scams more people? Last week, I reported a person for claiming to have recently moved out of the country, and wanting to use some shady escrow service to sell his motorcycle, which was at an outrageously good price. E-bay promptly booted him in less than 12 hours. It was great. I felt an invigorating sense of vindication! Screw those scammers.


Back on topic, I've bought over a hundred things on e_bay, from cars to motorcycles to guitars to tennis raquets. I'd say it's safe if you're cautious. Because of e-bay, I've saved thousands and thousands of dollars. Then again, I've spent thousands and thousands of dollars over the past 6 years also. Darn addictiveness!

 

[mclee025]

Hi BattleAxe,

Good for you on your actions. Like you, I have notified the auction site about the suspicious pattern -- even before posting that message on this forum. As far as I'm concerned, it's up to them to act on that information. If they cared, they'd look into it. It's really their customers and their reputation at stake. I haven't heard any response from them.

Keep in mind, this suspicious seller behavior is speculation on my part from reading past patterns and seeing it being repeated. I admit that I can be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not. As far as the site is concerned, they may think I'm off base and may do nothing.

That seller's auction ended for the first set of 5 new racquets with lots of bidding and winning auctions. Strangely, within a day of those auctions ending, he's put up another set of the same 5 racquets for a one day auction. To me, it looks like he's trying to milk this situation.

You'll also notice that one of the brand new buyers has already posted a positive feedback to him. That's the same thing that happened in the auction that occurred a few months ago. Some buyers will post positive feedback prematurely before they get any product. If the pattern repeats itself, you'll see the negative posts start coming in in a few weeks.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it is bad to shop from from the site. I'm just pointing out an example of how there are scams up there and this gives people a real life example of what to watch out for.

Like you, I've purchase way too much stuff from the site -- I'm an addict too . It's a great way to find good deals. I'm just saying, do your homework. Make sure you know what you are buying before bidding, try to avoid cash transactions (PayPal gives you a level of protection from fraud), and stay with sellers that have proven themselves.

Watch out for the posers like I think this seller is. His feedback rating is deceptively a lot more positive in appearance than it should be. My take is that it's all set up by the seller to fool the naive users. This is the type of auction that I would avoid.

 

[vinvin2003]

I'm a Chinese (not those selling fakes though)... Actually buying a racquet in Hongkong isn't that cheap. And usually shops don't offer any discount for new model as well. So be carefully if you are bidding on ****, watch out those seller from HK or China. You might think that those selling getting the racket from the factory or whatever to sell it at lower price but that is not the case. There should be only one Wilson's distrubutor in China and the gaurantee little paper ( don't know how to call it, sorry) should have the stamp of that company and you can even call them to confirm the product if they are real or not. All the others are fakes. That's why those selling are only selling Wilson Ncode. Hope this can help you guy.

 

[andfor]

I got ripped off. Buy at your own risk. After reporting it to **** and filing a claim I got $25 back out of $60 I paid for the racquet. The seller has been kicked off.

 

[legolas]

nothing is safe with e bay

 

[mclee025]

If it is this bad, why haven't you reported this seller to e-bay before he scams more people? Last week, I reported a person for claiming to have recently moved out of the country, and wanting to use some shady escrow service to sell his motorcycle, which was at an outrageously good price. E-bay promptly booted him in less than 12 hours. It was great. I felt an invigorating sense of vindication! Screw those scammers.

As mentioned earlier, I did submit a request for the site to investigate this seller. After not hearing anything for 3 days and seeing more and more fishy behavior from the seller, I submitted a 2nd post to the auction site requesting that they investigate, and they responded that they would look into it. This morning I found that they had actually suspended that user's auctions.

That seller had ran his auctions with 5 premium new racquets at a time and every time they ended, he'd start 5 auctions of the same 5 identical racquets for another one day auction. He was really milking it, but he had lots of interested bidders willing to pay over $100 for each. He did this for five rounds for a total of 25 racquets before having his auctions pulled.

Search on any of his auction numbers don't show his auction items any more. His user ID is still visible along with his "stellar" propped up feedback. You can find it under a search on "landsound". Looks like another scammer's bit the dust. Between BattleAxe and me, that's two down. Yipee!

As I've suggested before, the auction site is great, but you just have to be careful. I'm going Radical shopping

 

[tnig469]

some things are safe through it but......racquets? i dunno there r so many scammers i wouldnt recommend it.....but shoes are great to buy off there

 

[GRANITECHIEF]

I bought 3 FP Rad MP's for 130 each after shipping. Great deal. I've also bought snowboards and just recently got a pair of Volant ski's slightly used for $60 incl shipping. Also books and other various items. I'm an e-bay fan. Never had a bad experience.

 

[frekcles]

absolutely!!!

Has anyone ever bought racquets off of e bay? How as it ? Is it safe to do so? how come it is so cheap there? what are the percentages of buying a fake racquet on e bay?
Can some one tell me please!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely! But first you have to do your homework. Research the seller's feedback rating and ask a lot of questions. Make sure they take paypal so you'll have recourse in case of non-delivery. Ask for insurance just in case. I have purchased several racquets off of **** and all of them are first-rate. Well, except for one which has a rattle inside the handle - but it works. As far as buying fake racquets I have no comment as I only bought older models which are not so prone to being copied.

Good luck!

 

[tennis12345]

I bought my racquet from **** as well, although I didn't want to but I live in a very small town and so tennis is not a major thing here. It was a brand new one and the seller had his own tennis shop as well, so that is why I trusted him. However, I suggest you see if you can get it from a tennis store near you as it is much than relying on some pics of a racquet, which may not even be the racquet you get!!

 

[mabuhay]

i bought 2 Ncodes and saved $100. read the seller's "comments" before bidding to see if they have alot of complains.

 

[doriancito]

i bought 2 ncodes teams and they were good, no cracks, no flaws, 100% original! i registered them at wilson.com/registration