FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU FIND THIS GUIDE HELPFUL, THEN PLEASE VOTE YES AT THE BOTTOM...This way others can be helped by this information and hopefully they will have an enjoyable buying/selling Ebay experience.  I thought I was pretty savvy with protecting myself as a buyer and also as a seller from counterfeit golf club scams, but you will never learn enough because counterfeiters are always working to take your money every day.  First, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU GET A SERIAL NUMBER FOR THE GOLF CLUB.  Counterfeiters are smart, they simply go to a retail golf outlet and take the serial number from a legitimate set of clubs on display.  So when you call into the manufacturer to verify the serial number, they will of course say that it is authentic.  Counterfeiters will use a valid serial number repeatedly.  The only true way for you to really know if you have a counterfeit set of golf clubs is to send the club(s) to manufacturer for them to verify its authenticity.   PERIOD.  So the best way to protect yourself is to trust your instincts and use common sense.  IF A PRICE SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THEN DON'T BUY THE CLUB.  Just don't buy it.  It is far better to keep your $400 to $700 in your pocket than to go through the "sick to your stomach feeling" when you discover that your clubs are fake.  Nowadays you can't even go by the rating of the seller.  Counterfeiters are either stealing identities through phishing scams and then they sell dozens of small ticket items to establish a recent feedback history.  Generally they will not have more than 5 to 10 recent ratings in their history.  Buy from someone who has sold a lot of golf clubs before or simply buy from a power seller who has an established track record of selling the types of golf clubs that you like.  Remember, trust your instinct and if something just doesn't seem right, then don't buy.  Never buy clubs from someone who does not have clear pictures of the golf clubs or simply uses a "stock photo" taken from the manufacturer's website.  Digital cameras are cheap enough so that practically everyone can take decent pics and post them in their auction.  As a seller, I recently went through an experience where a buyer told me that the club I had sold him was counterfeit.  I know that the club was authentic because I bought it from a reputable golf outlet.  I had also checked with the manufacturer and they stated that the club was sent to the outlet.  Well, this buyer first claimed that the shaft was too "whippy" so he took it to a golf store to have the shaft changed.  Then he said that the rep at the store told him the club was fake, but the store put a stiffer flex shaft on the club anyway.  (What reputable golf store would put an expensive shaft on a club that they know is counterfeit).  So I had to go through the process of filing a dispute.  Then he claimed that the manufacturer of the golf club reportedly told him that if he sent the club to them to verify the authenticity, then they would have to keep the club.  This is not true because any manufacturer will inspect the club and if they find it to be fake, then they will return the club to you with a certificate stating that the club is counterfeit.  This will help you with any claim as a buyer of the fake club.  So whether you are a buyer OR a seller on Ebay, you have to watch yourself and be mindful of everything regarding your transaction.  I hope this writing helps someone else out there to avoid being taken.  Again, if this review was helpful, then please vote yes..  Thanks.