Avoiding Fake Tennis Racquets on Ebay

Another article on avoiding dissapointment from your next Ebay purchase by our Denver player Vamsee Konda.

As a follow up to my recent experience on purchasing, identifying and returning a fake racquet on Ebay, I thought I'll compile a list of steps anyone can take to avoid sour deals.

1. Purchase only from sellers within the US. Chinese sellers usually start their bidding at unbelivably low prices to get you interested. Once you buy their stuff and you decide to return it - you will have to pay a fortune to ship it back. Be sensible!!

2.  Pay attention to return policy. Dont get suckered in by low prices, buy items only when the seller accepts returns.

3. Buy only when your purchase is protected by Ebay. Usually displays the badge above.

4. Always ask for more pictures. Although it does not guarantee that your seller is posting pics of the racquet they are selling you. It atleast forces your sellers to find an authentic racquet if he is intentionally selling a fake. You especially need pics of the racquet neck and the handle butt cap. The racquet necks usually have holograms and the butt caps have serial numbers and other info.

5. Take pictures of your fake. If you have already received a fake racquet take pictures comparing your fake to an original. You will need this to make a strong case for getting your money back from Ebay. You can find more info here - http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/replica-counterfeit.html

6. Do not pay outside Ebay or Paypal. Do not under any circumstances agree to a deal outside Ebay. Paying via ebay/paypal/your credit card gives you an added layer of protection for your purchase. If you can prove that your seller duped you - there is a good chance of getting your money back.

7. Avoid the hassle and purchase from an authorized dealer. Most popular manufacturers like Head, Wilson, Babolat dictate the lowest price that their products can be sold for. So if someone is trying to sell a racquet for an unbeleivably low price - something is fishy. If  you are patient enough you will find a good deal at an authorized dealer like GolfSmith.

In my instance I tried to purchase a racquet on ebay for $115 and I had to pay for shipping it back to the seller another $12 - so my total = $127. I found a great deal on GolfSmith for $165 + free shipping + free stringing. Yes, I paid about $40 more but I know that its authentic and I can get my money back if something happens to my racquet.

Hope this helps - Vamsee