how do you trade clubs and be protected?

Can anyone tell me how to complete a trade and protect myself from getting screwed?

One way people have done it is for each person to PayPal the other person the money the club is worth, and once both parties have their clubs in hand, they then refund the other the money back.

Of course, this is only possible if you have the money in PayPal or you have enough to cover it regardless. I've traded with a member on here before and it went fine, but we both had a decent amount of feedback, but were both active users of the forum as well. To me, both of these are important.

If you want to cover yourself as much as possible, you don't have a choice but to each pay the other for the club so you're protected by PayPal. There are some other threads in this same section that cover a lot of helpful tips about trading, I'd suggest searching those threads out and reading up on them.

Is there a reasonable safe way to complete a internet trade ? i do not believe there truly is ......exchanging pay pal payment for "protection" seems like it might be too much of a hassle ... if you cannot complete a face to face trade transaction then trading online to me is asking to lose a valued club

1. Check feedback record.

2. Exchange plenty of detail pictures and descriptions. Be truthful about your clubs and expect the same from your trade partner. Remember that person doesn't want to be screwed as well.

3. Establish ship date once agreement is met. If you're receiving money in addition, that should be paypalled before you ship out yours.

4. Exchange tracking info.

Take a leap of faith, and it should be a small one b/c life is bigger than a couple of clubs :-)

it is tough.. .even exchanging money is tough since the person could conceivably open a case. Swapping is all a leap of faith. The one time I did swap with someone with zero feedback I was on pins and needles but it went off without a hitch. I don't go back to that well too often though. Typically, if someone I do not know on here offers a trade I will ask "Are you willing to send yours first and when I get it in good condition, I will send mine out?"

Like everyone else has said, it is a leap of faith.

I swore that it wasn't something I would ever do on here but was approached with a trade that appealed to me. It was completed successfully but there were a few moments when I was unnecessarily nervous.

I can't imagine ever trading with high dollar items unless I actually knew the person. Ultimately, there will always be a chance that you will never see what you are sending again or any money for it. Such is life.

plain and simple, if you have lower feedback than I do then i won't ship mine until your clubs are received and inspected.

the logic behind it is that i have much more to lose by tarnishing reputation here then someone with 2 feedback scores.

i wouldn't get banned here for anything less than a circle T lol jk,

Really there are no guarantees when you swap and you have a lot of faith in the other person. I have been burned before in a trade where someone asked me to send a club first, and they ended up damaging it. Really the only ways to protect yourself is to do what the people above had mentioned. Get some money involved so at least that way paypal will some what be able to help.

The only thing I would add make sure you do a very good job is documenting the trade. Take pictures, take video of the boxing and unboxing when you send and receive. They are extremely important if any issues come up with the condition of the items and a good way of protecting yourself. Since i had the situation documented all the way through I was able to show that the damage happened on their end. In my situation if I had not done so I would have been up a creek without a paddle.

The big one is pick who you trade with carefully, there are quite a few big name guys on here with high feed back and high posts, those are the guys who I would recommend putting your trust into. They are the ones who have put in the work building their reps on this site and they are the ones who are much more easily trusted if you are nervous.

High posting shows the guy is involved in the forum/ community and getting into discussions as well as likely has a little bit of a rep. This gives you some posts to look at and feel out the guys attitude and personality.

[quote name='player922000' timestamp='1428250581' post='11288079']
Can anyone tell me how to complete a trade and protect myself from getting screwed?
[/quote]
If this question pops up in your mind, just don't do the trade unless it's in person. It's as simple as that. What someone rates 9/10 I might rate 7/10. Don't take the risk if you can't take the loss.

[quote name='drgolfaholic' timestamp='1428335834' post='11294493']
1. Check feedback record.

2. Exchange plenty of detail pictures and descriptions. Be truthful about your clubs and expect the same from your trade partner. Remember that person doesn't want to be screwed as well.

3. Establish ship date once agreement is met. If you're receiving money in addition, that should be paypalled before you ship out yours.

4. Exchange tracking info.

Take a leap of faith, and it should be a small one b/c life is bigger than a couple of clubs :-)
[/quote]

I agree with this. But, if there is an inkling of hesitation because something doesnt seem right, dont go through with it. I have done dozens of trades and haven't had a single issue. But, I have backed out a few times because they felt iffy.

[quote name='drgolfaholic' timestamp='1428335834' post='11294493']
1. Check feedback record.

2. Exchange plenty of detail pictures and descriptions. Be truthful about your clubs and expect the same from your trade partner. Remember that person doesn't want to be screwed as well.

3. Establish ship date once agreement is met. If you're receiving money in addition, that should be paypalled before you ship out yours.

4. Exchange tracking info.

Take a leap of faith, and it should be a small one b/c life is bigger than a couple of clubs :-)
[/quote]

I agree with this. But, if there is an inkling of hesitation because something doesnt seem right, dont go through with it. I have done dozens of trades and haven't had a single issue. But, I have backed out a few times because they felt iffy.

Thanks for all the great advice everyone! Very helpful!

Thanks for all the great advice everyone! Very helpful!

I just won't trade with someone that doesn't have reasonable (double digit-ish) feedback. I've only traded on here a couple of times, but so far so good. The highest dollar amount trade was a set of AP2 (from me) for a couple of Camerons (from him) and it worked out fine.

I just won't trade with someone that doesn't have reasonable (double digit-ish) feedback. I've only traded on here a couple of times, but so far so good. The highest dollar amount trade was a set of AP2 (from me) for a couple of Camerons (from him) and it worked out fine.

I just did my second trade with a newer member who at the time had zero feedback....and it went perfect.

This one felt good right from the start. Excellent communication both through emails and texts from both of us (and yes we both provided tracking numbers ). Timing was perfect for the items we were looking for. Just a super cool deal. They all should be this smooth and easy.

I'm quite new to the site...only a user in the last year and have already completed 3 trades...all straight up with no cash involved. The only way I consider a trade is if the communication from the other party is outstanding. I feel I communicate very well when I'm dealing on the BST and I expect the same from my trading partner. I also look at their feedback...but not just the number though. Read the comments from their feedback and assess if they've gotten their feedback from just sales (they had nothing to lose) or if they've actually been involved in trades/purchases where they had to take "leap of faith". For example I have a lower (single digit) feedback because I'm quite new to the site but most of my feedback stems from purchases or trades I've made...this demonstrates I'm very comfortable and trustworthy when it comes to being a trading partner. I look for similar trading partners...people who have demonstrated they are do exactly what they say they will...and if their feedback is low then I look at how well they are communicating (timeliness, how the "negotiations are going", etc)...if I feel good about it I go ahead with the trade.

Maybe I'm looking through "rose-colored lenses" as I have yet to be burnt but I'll say this about the site...we have an OUTSTANDING golf community here and I've grown to trust the members...given that I'd suggest you take my advice above