FAKE CALLAWAY GOLF CLUBS ARE ALL OVER EBAY!!!

Because of the numerous fake Callaway (and other brands) golf clubs on Ebay and the Internet, the Callaway company is addressing this issue at their website in an effort to help their customers avoid losing hundreds of dollars on fake golf clubs being described as "100% authentic".

This information below is taken directly from the Callaway website (you can find it at their site by using the "contact us" link).  It is difficult to spot at their site so the average person may be missing this important information so I have decided to post this information on Ebay to help buyers avoid ending up with cheap, illegal, counterfeit golf clubs that will be NOWHERE near the quality of authentic Callaway clubs.

I have also added some additional information on things to avoid to reduce your chances of ending up with counterfeit items.

Please take a moment to read this important information and contact Callaway golf if you have any questions regarding clubs you have purchased or have seen for sale that you suspect to be counterfeit.

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CONSUMER ALERT: Counterfeit Clubs

"Consumers in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Canada have recently purchased sets of so-called "brand new Callaway Golf clubs" at very low prices on eBay.com and other Internet auction sites. These clubs and bags were in fact low-quality fakes. Callaway Golf's authorized retailers are not permitted to sell new Callaway Golf clubs on eBay.com.

There has also been an increase of Internet web sites offering what are claimed to be authentic Callaway Golf clubs at very low prices.  Many, but not all, of these web sites are based in China.  The clubs they sell are usually counterfeit.

Callaway Golf Company urges consumers to be aware of counterfeit clubs, bags and accessories. Counterfeits have been particularly common on Internet sites. These bogus products are often cosmetically attractive—making it difficult for the average person to readily identify them as low-quality fakes with inferior technology.

NINE WAYS TO AVOID BEING FOOLED BY COUNTERFEITS:

How can you protect yourself from being a victim of counterfeiters? Here are some questions you should ask as you prepare to purchase genuine Callaway Golf products:

1. Am I purchasing from an authorized Callaway Golf retailer? If the answer is "no," your chances of purchasing counterfeits increase greatly. For a list of authorized Callaway Golf retailers, and those authorized to sell genuine Callaway Golf clubs, bags and accessories on the Internet, see our Retail Locater. Your best protection against counterfeits is to purchase only from an authorized Callaway Golf retailer. If you have questions, contact our Customer Service team at customerservice @ callwaygolf . com or call 800-588-9836.

2. Are the products touted as being "brand new" and being offered for sale on an Internet auction site? If yes, beware. Why would brand new clubs be up for auction? Many consumers who have purchased counterfeit clubs have been victimized by Internet auction sellers. The best insurance against being victimized by counterfeiters is to buy only from authorized Callaway Golf retailers. Most “Callaway Golf” clubs offered at attractive prices on web sites from China are counterfeit.

3. Are the clubs a full set, including woods, irons, wedges, a putter, a bag, and possibly even an airport travel bag (with wheels), an umbrella, and/or a shoe bag? If so, it is highly likely that they are a counterfeit set purchased in China or from a Chinese Internet seller for as little as $150.  But beware: some counterfeiters are breaking up these full sets and selling counterfeit irons, woods, and bags separately, either on auction sites or on web sites.

4. Is the price for the "brand new, top of the line" clubs too good to be true?  Remember, a full set of authentic Callaway Golf clubs, depending on the models, will retail for $2,000-2,500 or more. If the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is and you should be extremely wary.

5. Does the seller explain his willingness to part with the clubs at a bargain-basement price by claiming that he "won the clubs” in a tournament or raffle, or that they were "a gift” that he doesn’t need? Sellers of counterfeit Callaway Golf clubs on the Internet often use these and other reasons to deceive their victims. 

6. If the club is a driver, or a #3 wood, does it have a serial number on the hosel?  If you are purchasing a set of irons, does the 8-iron have a serial number on it? If the answer is "no," there is a very high probability that these clubs could be counterfeit.  If the answer is "yes," but the clubs being offered fit other warning signs in this bulletin (such as a suspiciously low price), be cautious.  Some counterfeiters are putting bogus serial numbers on clubs. If you have any hesitation, contact your authorized retailer or Callaway Golf Customer Service. Remember, merely because a club has a serial number does not mean that it is authentic.

7. If the clubs include models that are supposed to be titanium, does a magnet cling to them?  If it does, the clubs are counterfeit.  A magnet will not cling to titanium.  If the clubs are Fusion models, or Hybrids, and the crown is made of metal, the clubs are counterfeit.  Authentic Callaway Golf Fusion/Hybrid models have a carbon composite crown.   Counterfeits substitute metal and paint it to resemble carbon composite.

8. Have the clubs been inspected at an authorized Callaway Golf retailer in a side-by-side comparison? If you have access to the clubs before purchase, don’t fail to do this. Most counterfeits do not withstand such a comparison.

9. If you are in doubt about the authenticity of the clubs being offered, have you contacted Callaway Golf at customer service @ callawaygolf . com and asked for assistance?  If you do so, your chances of being victimized decrease significantly."

Above information is courtesy of the Callaway Golf website.  Please contact Callaway for more details.

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MORE INFO

In addition, be sure to check the seller's "completed items" and "other items up for auction" and their Ebay store to see how many "gifts" they have received.  Many sellers will claim an item to be a gift but if you view their history, you will find that they have received hundreds of these supposed "gifts".  And what are the odds that a seller is winning numerous sets of golf clubs?  Look closely at the sellers items and how many they are selling (and have sold) of the same exact item.  This will often tell you a lot.

Sellers will also describe counterfeit items as being "like new", when they are actually new, as to reduce the questions of why they are selling numerous brand new sets of clubs.

Many counterfeit items are "private" listings.  You can not see the buyer's name.  This is so that people can't contact you to let you know that the item you are bidding on or have won is counterfeit.   Do not buy from sellers who have private listings as this is a huge red flag the item will be fake.

Beware of one day only auctions.   Sellers with fake items use one day auctions so that the item has a chance of ending before being reported.  Counterfeit sellers also are out to make money quickly...and disappear quickly.  The shorter the duration of the listing, the higher the chances of receiving a fake item.  Better to look for 7 day auctions, you'll have better odds of possibly receiving an authentic item although this is no guarantee.  But I would skip 1 - 3 day auctions because this is so common for counterfeit sellers.

Be sure to check the shipping and handling amount also.  Many times sellers with counterfeit items will pad the S&H so that they are still making a profit while offering a "money back guarantee minus shipping & handling".  If the s&h amount seems excessively high, this may be due to the fact that they are selling counterfeit items and figure the return rate may be high.  Therefore, they have figured their profit already into the S&H amount.

Also, many times the "money back guarantee" doesn't actually exist.  You get the fake clubs, ask to return them and you will not get a response from the seller.  Then you may also learn the telephone number on file with Ebay is disconnected so you can't contact the seller by telephone. Or you may learn that you do not want to spends hundreds of dollars making long distance calls to China to get your money back.  It is very common for counterfeit sellers in other countries to lie about their location in order to win your trust.  You will see a location that is in the US (or wherever you are located) only to have your package arrive from China.  Many people decide it is not worth the hassle so they are just out the money and stuck with golf clubs they will never use.

Sellers may not actually be located in China but are buying their items from suppliers in China and re-selling them.

CONTACT CALLAWAY FOR MORE INFORMATION

Callaway Golf is at the forefront when it comes to helping their buyers with this issue. Many other companies will not offer any assistance when it comes to counterfeits as they are annoyed that their items are being purchased ANYWHERE besides an authorized retailer.  Callaway realizes that helping buyers avoid fakes will protect the integrity of their product as some people may think that their supposedly "authentic" Callaway golf club is not of good quality.  That would be because it is a fake.  Please take a moment to thank Callaway for their efforts by calling or sending them an email of support.

SEARCH EBAY FOR SOME GREAT GUIDES ON HOW TO SPOT THE FAKES

There are also some great guides with more information on how to spot fake Callaway golf clubs listed on Ebay.  Be sure to search the guides for more information and take the time to vote "yes" for the guides that you find helpful.  These Ebayers work very hard on these guides and volunteer their time to help others in this way and always appreciate knowing their work is helping fellow Ebayers.

I'm not familiar enough with golf clubs to offer any assistance on how to spot the fakes, I'm very sorry.  I'm just trying to help get the word out to the Ebay community.  Please contact Callaway or search the guides if you have questions regarding details of how to spot the fakes.

REPORT FAKES

Take time to report counterfeit items to Ebay (there is a link at the bottom of each listing that says "report this item"), leave negative feedback when appropriate and report the items to IPCybercrime.  By not taking action, more people will be victims.  Do your part to help others avoid being scammed.  It is the right thing to do.

HOW TO REPORT AN ITEM

Go to the bottom of the listing.  You will see a link that says "report this item.  Click on that.

Then highlight "counterfeits and copyright violations".

Then highlight "potential trademark infringement".

Then highlight "other replica or counterfeit items". 

Then you will  click "continue" and then you will select "email us".  You will see a box where the item number appears.  Click on "send".  This will report the item to Ebay to bring it to their attention.  You may also want to follow up with an email if the item is not removed within 24 hours.

DID YOU FIND THIS INFORMATION HELPFUL?

I hope you found some of the information in this guide to be helpful.  If so, please register your vote as "yes" below so that more Ebayers can easily find this information when they search for Callaway golf clubs.  The more votes a guide receives, the easier it is to locate by members doing a search.  Thanks so much for taking a moment to register your vote!

Christi