Counterfeit clubs timing to market

TYork

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I found a brand new Callaway Rogue driver thru a local classified add. The price is almost too good to be true. If I buy it, it will be a local transaction cash deal, so i'm not worried about fraud. My concern is with it being a knock-off or counterfeit. The Rogue is so new that I cant imagine it being copied yet, but want to be sure. Has anyone accidentally purchased a counterfeit club and how quickly can new products be copied? Also- I will examine the club thoroughly but if anyone has tips or tricks on what to look I would appreciate it.
 
Dont know about specific timing but would offer to pay with paypal if it is something you truly want. With paypal, they would at least help with guaranteeing part of the purchase if my memory is correct. If I had any doubt I would hold off a little longer
 
Given this scenario and timing I'd likely be more worried that it's stolen product.
 
Given this scenario and timing I'd likely be more worried that it's stolen product.

good call! i cant stand thiefs! He says its in the original plastic.....I wonder if any local shops or courses have been burglarized.
 
Given this scenario and timing I'd likely be more worried that it's stolen product.

My thoughts as well. Seems a bit on the HOT side for me. If it is stolen, retail thieves rarely ever think to grab the headcover/adjustment tool kit bag.

Also, if it is brand new, check out the screw of the adaptor, which should be untouched. If it is all scraped up like can happen when in a hurry, it is likely to have been separated and stolen as that is a common club theft tactic.
 
Dont know about specific timing but would offer to pay with paypal if it is something you truly want. With paypal, they would at least help with guaranteeing part of the purchase if my memory is correct. If I had any doubt I would hold off a little longer

I will look into this....thanks
 
The newest clubs I have seen faked were the entire line of 718s from Titleist. I saw these on the market a month BEFORE the real clubs even hit the shelves (though they were out on tour.) I haven't seen any Epic or Rogue drivers being faked however.


This is not my photo. I grabbed it from a Chinese site
 

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If its too good to be true it probably is....Id steer clear
 
The newest clubs I have seen faked were the entire line of 718s from Titleist. I saw these on the market a month BEFORE the real clubs even hit the shelves (though they were out on tour.) I haven't seen any Epic or Rogue drivers being faked however.


This is not my photo. I grabbed it from a Chinese site

Wow!


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If its too good to be true it probably is....Id steer clear

Ya- I talked to the guy on the phone and he said he won it in a tournament. In his original text he said it was a gift. Red flags were flying after that. It’s either fake or stolen so i guess I will just pay retail. Better safe than sorry. My driver needs to be perfect because it’s the head I’m gonna use for the project x experience.


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Saw a recent PXG fake but haven't heard about any others. It actually may be stolen as suggested by #Cookie but hopefully not.
 
A guy at my club bought a set of then-current-model "Taylormade" irons from some outfit in China. As in shipped directly from mainland China. In the pictures on the ad they were absolutely indistinguishable from the actual thing and when he received them they weren't quite perfect but pretty convincing. But they were not the exact set he ordered and the shafts were totally different. So he didn't want them.

The place in China refunded his money and told him to keep the club. I don't recall exactly but it was something $170 or $190 or something for a seven-club set. He tried them and said they seemed to play OK but in the end he donated them to a junior golf program or something. When I heard the story I was wondering how long it would take for someone (maybe a junior golfer or his parents) to get those and list them on eBay as Like New condition Taylormade irons!
 
Clubs are designed over months or even years. Plenty of opportunity for forgers to gain access to designs and have counterfeits ready to go ahead of a product launch. Especially if they are 'soft launching' with prototypes out in the wild. Which is why they're crap- designed to look alike, not perform alike. But yeah. sounds too good, it usually is too good to be true.
 
I hardly ever pay cash for something, especially if I have suspicions. As for me, this is a better option, just in case, something goes wrong. I've been scammed in the past, not once, so now I take precautions whenever I make a purchase, or in general when it comes to money, Id, or mail. In your case, if the price is so low, it's most likely that the product is counterfeited, but well, it might be just a very good deal. Listen to your gut and check everything twice, other than that, I'm out of ideas.
 
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