Extremely Sketchy Recoil Prototype Listing on EBay. Likely fake.

[Jagpilotohio]

Public service announcement. I just bought some wedges and I want to re-shaft them with Recoil Prototype 125’s.

 

A listing for multiple 4-pw sets for $270 obo on the Bay catches my eye. Very Strange because they retail for $80 each and I’ve never seen such a low price on NEW Protos. Not even close. I’ve been playing them 2 years.

 

I email the seller, who has been selling on EBay a whole 3 WEEKS....giant red flag....and ask if he can get me just wedge shafts and if so, how much?

 

After a couple Emails, all answered very quickly, He replies $40 each. $120 for 3, including shipping. Crazy low.

 

Here is the rest of the conversation. First message is at the bottom. He still has not returned my last message from 3 hours ago. I wonder why? He has other UST stuff listed as well. I’d stay away. It Smells as fishy as it gets.

 

Edit..... since a few aren't seeing the time line. The message at the TOP is the LAST one in the string. There were a couple of very cordial early messages to start the thread that wouldn’t fit on the screenshot.

 

 

 

[straightshot7]

I can tell you the dealer he acquired them from is in the Zengcheng District of China.

[viperstudio]

he he you sounds like an FBI man, but thanks for the heads up and service announcement :)

[MrTmag]

You come across as a jerk in your first message. No kindness just straight aggression and instantly in attack mode whether your cause is warranted being fake or not I wouldnt want to deal with you from the get go.

[STPBMW]

You come across as a jerk in your first message. No kindness just straight aggression and instantly in attack mode whether your cause is warranted being fake or not I wouldnt want to deal with you from the get go.

 

I'm afraid I agree. I ignore these types when I'm selling legit equipment locally.

[SubaruWRX]

He says the shafts come from UST and he is a dealer and has excess stock of them.

 

Then he changes story to having the shafts from a previous dealer.

 

I dunno. But I’d rather pay more and have peace of mind. If you’re already questioning the legitimacy of the seller...

[jj9000]

I learned a little bit about a Seller this evening.

 

I learned a little about a Buyer this evening.

 

Neither of which I'd like to do business with.

[Jagpilotohio]

You come across as a jerk in your first message. No kindness just straight aggression and instantly in attack mode whether your cause is warranted being fake or not I wouldnt want to deal with you from the get go.

 

Oh boy. I though this might happen. I’m afraid You read my post incorrectly.

 

The TOP message was the very LAST message in the thread.. there were two very cordial and simple messages to start the conversation that I couldn’t fit on the screen shot. After we established what I was interested in he simply would not tell me how he ended up with a bunch of shafts that he admittedly can’t buy from UST.

 

[sunbeltgolfer]

He says the shafts come from UST and he is a dealer and has excess stock of them.

 

Then he changes story to having the shafts from a previous dealer.

 

I dunno. But I'd rather pay more and have peace of mind. If you're already questioning the legitimacy of the seller...

 

I'm a Tour SPX dealer and at my level would lose money on them at $40 each with shipping. He would have to be a top tier TSPXdealer to make a few dollars at that price and would be in violation of minimum pricing agreement with UST and subject to lose his account.

[bigeasy]

If I am buying anything, I think I have the right to ask questions about price,condition, legitimacy, but as the old saying goes, if it sounds to good to be true, better run.

[the bishop]

You come across as a jerk in your first message. No kindness just straight aggression and instantly in attack mode whether your cause is warranted being fake or not I wouldnt want to deal with you from the get go.

 

Oh boy. I though this might happen. I'm afraid You read my post incorrectly.

 

The TOP message was the very LAST message in the thread.. there were two very cordial and simple messages to start the conversation that I couldn't fit on the screen shot. After we established what I was interested in he simply would not tell me how he ended up with a bunch of shafts that he admittedly can't buy from UST.

Has he still not replied to your last message?

[Z1ggy16]

If you walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

[Jagpilotohio]

You come across as a jerk in your first message. No kindness just straight aggression and instantly in attack mode whether your cause is warranted being fake or not I wouldnt want to deal with you from the get go.

 

Oh boy. I though this might happen. I'm afraid You read my post incorrectly.

 

The TOP message was the very LAST message in the thread.. there were two very cordial and simple messages to start the conversation that I couldn't fit on the screen shot. After we established what I was interested in he simply would not tell me how he ended up with a bunch of shafts that he admittedly can't buy from UST.

Has he still not replied to your last message?

 

Nope. Dead radio silence since the last message. No surprise. His listing is still up by the way.

 

I emailed Will Peoples about it, “the Peoples clubs”. Great guy. He’s a sponsor here. I’ve been buying from him for a couple of years.

 

He confirmed what sunbeltgolfer said. $40 is essentially cost. After eBay fees and shipping it is quite literally a losing proposition.

 

He agreed with my feelings. Either stolen or fake.

 

The only other possibility is that he bought Stock from a legit TSPX dealer at a bankruptcy or going out of business sale, but if that was the case, why not simply explain that to me??

 

I just went ahead and ordered my 3 wedge shafts from Will at a reasonable markup. If I’m buying expensive specialty equipment I want to be damn sure it’s real. That’s always “worth” something to me.

 

As big easy said..if it sounds too good to be true, better run.

[SubaruWRX]

Piece of mind does have a price. And I’m willing to pay for it.

[GoIrish17]

I've been following along, as I've been doing some searching for the same and wanted to up my knowledge. This situation seems bizarre, there's no reasonable explanation for this guy to be selling at that price. I appreciate the OP bringing it to the board's attention, I'll personally be steering clear of this gegolf guy. That being said, I'm always one for a good caper, so here's where I'm at in this situation:

 

The stolen theory, or bought stock from someone liquidating both have some merit, but end up leaving as many questions as answers. If stolen it'd make no sense for the seller to entertain a back-and-forth with a potential buyer with obvious knowledge of the product and has so many probing questions. If it was just product he bought at liquidation, as said before- why not just say that rather than lie about being an authorized dealer? Unless he promised to protect his source.

 

Fake Recoil Prototypes seems to be a stretch, as there is no sense in anyone spending the time and money producing such a niche piece of equipment. It'd probably cost just as much to make a fake Recoil Proto as it would to make real ones. It would be a lot easier to just buy fake Circle T's off AliExpress and sell them as legit, if you were just looking to make a quick buck (not to insinuate that these guys are sharp).

 

Here's a couple theories I've eliminated my theory down to:

 

Is he selling regular Recoils and doesn't know that Recoil Prototypes are a different product? (In other words, is he just an idiot trying to over sell what he has?)

 

Was there ever a time when Recoils were new that they were branded as "Prototype", before there were actually two lines?

 

He has no product at all and is just looking to straight up scam someone out of money/ info until he is caught?

 

All this is neither here nor there, just trying to wrap my head around a situation that probably is just a simple idiot on eBay running an idiotic scam. Whatever the case, thanks for pointing it out.

[SubaruWRX]

Well, if he does have them and they’re real, why price them so low? Why not just ask 10%-15% less than market price? I wouldn’t just give them away. They’ll sell, just not as fast. And pricing them higher would actually fly under the radar better.

[thevaporz]

Did he include a pic of the TSPX serial? I had a set of Prototypes around when they first came out that didn't have one but every other set I've seen since then has the etched serial towards the tip. My only complaint with these shafts is the poor durability of the shaft paint. It really scuffs/chips easily from clanking against heads towards the tips and bag rash. Awesome shafts though.

[The General]

the terrible grammar and low prices are two dead ringers for "RUN" from this guy as soon as possible.

 

eBay is still a major crap shoot, no matter what you buy. It's sad. Back in the day it was a good place to get gear.

[GoIrish17]

Did he include a pic of the TSPX serial? I had a set of Prototypes around when they first came out that didn't have one but every other set I've seen since then has the etched serial towards the tip. My only complaint with these shafts is the poor durability of the shaft paint. It really scuffs/chips easily from clanking against heads towards the tips and bag rash. Awesome shafts though.

 

I have a set I bought new/ uncut from a reputable source that do not have TSPX serials etched. I bought them last spring but I have no idea of their age, so I could just have an older set like yours.

[miket_81]

I am pretty sure this seller was on here for awhile and maybe still is.

 

He tried to sell a lot of the stuff he has listed on eBay on the BST.

[thevaporz]

After checking the seller's ebay listings, you are crazy man. "Extremely sketchy" you are seeing black helicopters. The guy is selling authentic gear.

[toophewbirdies]

You come across as a jerk in your first message. No kindness just straight aggression and instantly in attack mode whether your cause is warranted being fake or not I wouldnt want to deal with you from the get go.

 

Oh boy. I though this might happen. I'm afraid You read my post incorrectly.

 

The TOP message was the very LAST message in the thread.. there were two very cordial and simple messages to start the conversation that I couldn't fit on the screen shot. After we established what I was interested in he simply would not tell me how he ended up with a bunch of shafts that he admittedly can't buy from UST.

Has he still not replied to your last message?

 

Nope. Dead radio silence since the last message. No surprise. His listing is still up by the way.

 

I emailed Will Peoples about it, “the Peoples clubs”. Great guy. He’s a sponsor here. I’ve been buying from him for a couple of years.

 

He confirmed what sunbeltgolfer said. $40 is essentially cost. After eBay fees and shipping it is quite literally a losing proposition.

 

He agreed with my feelings. Either stolen or fake.

 

The only other possibility is that he bought Stock from a legit TSPX dealer at a bankruptcy or going out of business sale, but if that was the case, why not simply explain that to me??

 

I just went ahead and ordered my 3 wedge shafts from Will at a reasonable markup. If I’m buying expensive specialty equipment I want to be damn sure it’s real. That’s always “worth” something to me.

 

As big easy said..if it sounds too good to be true, better run.

 

Can not go wrong with Will. He's an awesome individual to deal with AND a sponsor of this site.

 

Well played OP! ;)

[Jagpilotohio]

After checking the seller's ebay listings, you are crazy man. "Extremely sketchy" you are seeing black helicopters. The guy is selling authentic gear.

 

Will said that the amount of counterfeit graphite shafts out on the market that have nearly perfect graphics would blow people’s minds.

 

He said that when the Attas Punch wood shafts came out last spring there were more fakes on eBay than there were real ones in a matter of 3-4 weeks.

 

When the fakes look like incredible deals priced 15-20% over cost the legit dealers have a tough time selling real ones at prices that will allow them to make any money.

 

[GoIrish17]

After checking the seller's ebay listings, you are crazy man. "Extremely sketchy" you are seeing black helicopters. The guy is selling authentic gear.

 

Will said that the amount of counterfeit graphite shafts out on the market that have nearly perfect graphics would blow people’s minds.

 

He said that when the Attas Punch wood shafts came out last spring there were more fakes on eBay than there were real ones in a matter of 3-4 weeks.

 

When the fakes look like incredible deals priced 15-20% over cost the legit dealers have a tough time selling real ones at prices that will allow them to make any money.

 

And of course Will has no reason to overstate that to scare people away from eBay. I’m sure his opinion of eBay is free from bias. (Not bad mouthing Will, just pointing it out.)

[zenman4711]

After checking the seller's ebay listings, you are crazy man. "Extremely sketchy" you are seeing black helicopters. The guy is selling authentic gear.

 

Will said that the amount of counterfeit graphite shafts out on the market that have nearly perfect graphics would blow people’s minds.

 

He said that when the Attas Punch wood shafts came out last spring there were more fakes on eBay than there were real ones in a matter of 3-4 weeks.

 

When the fakes look like incredible deals priced 15-20% over cost the legit dealers have a tough time selling real ones at prices that will allow them to make any money.

 

I have no horse in this race but when I had a retail store selling furniture at times we blew out product that we had and that we needed to order to meet minimums for our account standing. Maybe seller is an authorized dealer trying to meet minimum orders and can’t sell under shop name on eBay so as not to undercut prices at his retail store? Is it possible to contact somebody who bought shafts from him and see if they have serial #s?

[dbleag]

OP - if your brain is giving you a "no-go" signal, maybe you should listen.

[sunbeltgolfer]

After checking the seller's ebay listings, you are crazy man. "Extremely sketchy" you are seeing black helicopters. The guy is selling authentic gear.

 

Will said that the amount of counterfeit graphite shafts out on the market that have nearly perfect graphics would blow people's minds.

 

He said that when the Attas Punch wood shafts came out last spring there were more fakes on eBay than there were real ones in a matter of 3-4 weeks.

 

When the fakes look like incredible deals priced 15-20% over cost the legit dealers have a tough time selling real ones at prices that will allow them to make any money.

 

I have no horse in this race but when I had a retail store selling furniture at times we blew out product that we had and that we needed to order to meet minimums for our account standing. Maybe seller is an authorized dealer trying to meet minimum orders and can't sell under shop name on eBay so as not to undercut prices at his retail store? Is it possible to contact somebody who bought shafts from him and see if they have serial #s?

 

On the TSPX account with UST there is a minimum, but, that only applies to how much you purchase from them in a calendar year, not sales.

[zenman4711]

After checking the seller's ebay listings, you are crazy man. "Extremely sketchy" you are seeing black helicopters. The guy is selling authentic gear.

 

Will said that the amount of counterfeit graphite shafts out on the market that have nearly perfect graphics would blow people's minds.

 

He said that when the Attas Punch wood shafts came out last spring there were more fakes on eBay than there were real ones in a matter of 3-4 weeks.

 

When the fakes look like incredible deals priced 15-20% over cost the legit dealers have a tough time selling real ones at prices that will allow them to make any money.

 

I have no horse in this race but when I had a retail store selling furniture at times we blew out product that we had and that we needed to order to meet minimums for our account standing. Maybe seller is an authorized dealer trying to meet minimum orders and can't sell under shop name on eBay so as not to undercut prices at his retail store? Is it possible to contact somebody who bought shafts from him and see if they have serial #s?

 

On the TSPX account with UST there is a minimum, but, that only applies to how much you purchase from them in a calendar year, not sales.

 

Yes, that's how it worked with us as well. We'd go through 9 - 10 months of trying to meet the purchase minimum to keep the account at a certain wholesale level but at a certain calendar date, we would start discounting heavily on in-store product as well as ordered products to meet our requirements to keep the dealer account. Maybe seller is in same position which is why he was able to give wedge shaft prices even though he wasn't offering wedge shafts but could order them. Sometimes we would have almost no mark-up so we could meet the purchase requirements for the account...

[chickenpotpie]

After checking the seller's ebay listings, you are crazy man. "Extremely sketchy" you are seeing black helicopters. The guy is selling authentic gear.

 

Will said that the amount of counterfeit graphite shafts out on the market that have nearly perfect graphics would blow people’s minds.

 

He said that when the Attas Punch wood shafts came out last spring there were more fakes on eBay than there were real ones in a matter of 3-4 weeks.

 

When the fakes look like incredible deals priced 15-20% over cost the legit dealers have a tough time selling real ones at prices that will allow them to make any money.

 

And of course Will has no reason to overstate that to scare people away from eBay. I’m sure his opinion of eBay is free from bias. (Not bad mouthing Will, just pointing it out.)

 

Haha, exactly.....

[grm24]

After checking the seller's ebay listings, you are crazy man. "Extremely sketchy" you are seeing black helicopters. The guy is selling authentic gear.

 

Will said that the amount of counterfeit graphite shafts out on the market that have nearly perfect graphics would blow people’s minds.

 

He said that when the Attas Punch wood shafts came out last spring there were more fakes on eBay than there were real ones in a matter of 3-4 weeks.

 

When the fakes look like incredible deals priced 15-20% over cost the legit dealers have a tough time selling real ones at prices that will allow them to make any money.

 

And of course Will has no reason to overstate that to scare people away from eBay. I’m sure his opinion of eBay is free from bias. (Not bad mouthing Will, just pointing it out.)

Will sells on Ebay under the name "wearetpc". Seems unlikely he is trying to scare potential customers away from his Ebay store with what he told Jag.